Along Came a Halfling
by SilverFlameoftheWindScar
Summary: Jak's out for a bit of lazy cruising when he hears a strange song that only he can hear. With Dax on his shoulder and thinking the blonde is losing his marbles, Jak follows the soothing tune. What does he find? Jak2, JxH DxT SLASH/YAOI HET KEIRA-BASHING
1. Chapter 1

WIP JakHarry

Chapter One

DISCLAIMER: I own only my ideas.

I can't believe it! There are NO Jak&Daxter/HP SLASH crossovers?! –faints from shock- I thought I had the first actual CROSSOVER, but thanks to my readers/reviewers, I now stand corrected!

Well, I haven't gotten to the be first to do a certain crossover, so this makes me very happy! XD

If my readers know me well, this is going to be slash and there's nothing anyone can say that will stop me!

*I reserve the right to report anyone who thinks it is their privilege to criticize _me_. If you don't like the fact that I am a nearly-strictly SLASH/YAOI writer, and you could clearly see from the summary that this IS slash, yet you still clicked the hyperlink? If you did that, I don't want to hear a cross word out of you.

****NO NO NO NO mpreg! You can tell me slash is wrong until you're blue in the face, but I'll definitely stop reading a story if I get ANY inkling that it is going to be mpreg – that's just anatomically impossible. –sweatdrop-

Okay, now that I've said my peace, I'm going to get started!

(--)

Blonde hair with green roots whipped in the air as a young Elf flew lazily on a one-seat zoomer. An orange otter-weasel-like creature was sitting on the piece of shaped metal strapped to the blonde's shoulder as though he owned the world. A little box was flying beside the blonde and orange otter-weasel and was spewing something that the blonde only caught the barest amount of.

"Hey, Jak," the orange creature called over the wind.

"Hmm?" the blonde, known as Jak, hummed in response.

"Ya seem a little distracted buddy. Torn's yammerin' about somethin' against the Baron, and ya don't even care?" The small being stood on the shoulder guard and looked down at his friend, not even concerned that Jak had taken his eyes off the path in front of him, nearly crashing into another driver, to glare at him.

"Daxter…do you hear anything?" he asked softly, his barely-gravelly, almost-completely-smooth, deep voice practically caressing the words.

The otter-weasel-creature, Daxter, had learned to not question the blonde, but he couldn't resist a huff when the long ear of the Elf gave a little _thwap_ when it hit his stomach. "If ya keep turnin' yer head like that, it's gonna fall off," he replied instead of saying, 'Nooo, but ya might be goin' crazy!'

"It's…like a song…but it's fading out… It's like…whatever's making it…is dying?" Jak mumbled, knowing his friend would hear him.

"Gyah! What's that?!"

Jak _snarled_ as an orange tail wrapped around his head. "Daxter, you nutty Ottsel! Get your tail off my face!"

"Eh heh heh… Sorry buddy…" Daxter apologized sheepishly as the blonde dropped to the lower level to get off of his bike-like zoomer. "What do you think that is?"

"It's making the song…" Jak said, not even taking note of Daxter's question as he pulled the whatever-it-was out of the Slums' ditch. He knew through personal experience that it wasn't the best place to be. "It's a person…" he mumbled as he turned the body over to look at the face.

Weary emerald looked up into startled blue. A delicate-seeming hand reached up, moonlight skin touching the tanned skin of Jak's face. "Please…help me…" the person whispered hoarsely.

"Ya look like yer gonna need more than that," Daxter so-helpfully offered.

A little smirk turned lips upward before a panting breath escaped them. "See how you look…after being chased…into a ditch…" The man, they could tell from the voice, gasped softly before adding, "Actually…you might…look better…"

Jak gave a little grin as Daxter huffed. "I can take you back to the Underground Hideout," he murmured against an ear that he noticed was _extremely_ short but came to a graceful point.

The man he was holding up from the ground shivered, burying his face in the attractively-tanned neck.

As Jak lifted him, much easier than he thought he should've been able to even with the Dark Eco running in his veins, he asked, "Are you cold?"

"Not extremely… My ears are sensitive…" was the tired, murmured answer.

Jak blushed, understanding what the man meant. "Can you stay awake long enough to get back to base?" he asked instead of commenting on the sensitivity of the man's short, yet pointed ears.

"You…heard my song…right?" The man felt Jak's nod as his face was still nuzzled into the warm skin of the blonde's neck. "I…have to be awake…to play it… I can stay up…a little longer…"

"Okay," Jak said once they were situated on the zoomer. "I need you to hang on tight."

"He's a maniac when ya put him behind a set of handlebars," Daxter offered.

The man simply gave a soft hum as he wrapped his arms as tightly around Jak's waist as his exhaustion would allow. He buried his face against the blonde's neck again, making the driver wonder if it was just a strange quirk.

Avoiding Krimson Guards wasn't as easy as it normally was, making Jak's record-breaking time not quite as spectacular as he wanted it to be. "I've got you," he mumbled as he lifted the man, slipping into the Hideout with practiced ease, no one noticing how he didn't return from the dead-end street.

"Jak! You can't just bring people in off the streets!" a tattooed man behind a map-covered countertop half-snarled.

Jak glared at the man, Dark Eco sparking dangerously in his eyes as he felt it rise up with a protective streak he hadn't felt in a little over two years. At a soft moan, he looked down at the man in his arms before a pale face was pressed into his neck again.

"Jak, answer me. Why is he here?" the tattooed man behind the desk questioned in a calmer tone.

He looked up at the leader of the Underground and said, "He sang to me."

Nonexistent eyebrows rocketed upward. "He…_sang_…to you?" he repeated, a wry little grin curving his lips.

"Torn," he growled, the man's name a dangerous warning to the Second's own ears.

Torn simply shrugged. "Just seems like you've got yourself a little crush, there, Jak."

Jak stepped to the doorway that led to a hallway of rooms. "And what if I do?"

"Heh, to each his own, Jak. To each his own," Torn replied, waving him off. _I guess the old legend is true, then,_ he thought to himself, a grin tugging at his lips.

--

Jak stepped into the room that had been designated as his own for his stay with the Underground. A simple bed, a nightstand with drawers, and a lamp on the nightstand were the only pieces of furniture – the bare essentials.

Daxter jumped in his little nest of blankets in the top drawer, watching as Jak ever-so-carefully lay the man on the bed. _I wonder if Tattooed Wonder was right… Is it love at first sight? Heh heh, I'm a poet and didn't know it!_ he thought to himself, a smile taking over his face as he settled his head on his arms and went to sleep.

Jak, having nowhere else to do so, sat on the bed beside the man. He started when gentle fingertips brushed over his fingers, the only bare thing besides his neck and face.

"…Are you tired…?" the hoarse voice asked weakly.

"I'll be fine."

"Didn't…ask that…" The man reached up, and with more strength than Jak thought he had, took hold of his shoulder guard and pulled the blonde down to lie beside him. "…Sleep… I…can tell…you need it…"

"How?" Jak asked, surprised that a man he had just met was able to see through him so easily.

"Can…sense it…" was the murmured answer before soft breaths were the only noise from him.

Jak rolled over and looked at the closed eyes. Raising his hand, he brushed away some of the dirt covering the man's face and found it to be as moonlight-pale as the man's fingers. _Why did I feel so protective of him…? And why did Dark rise up?_ he wondered, looking down at the man again and unable to stop a little smile from curving his lips when the pale-skinned man snuggled against him. _He's colder than he said he was,_ was his only thought before he allowed sleep to claim him.

--

When the unknown man next woke, it was because his source of warmth had disappeared and the shivers had grown too powerful to ignore. With another shudder at the chill seeping into his body, he sat up only to hear footsteps echo down the hallway. _Where am I? …Oh! I didn't even introduce myself! How horrible!_

Emerald eyes looked around the room, noticing its small size and scant furniture. _What you need and _only_ what you need,_ he thought to himself, remembering his own room. _Humph… If I never see it again, it'd be too soon,_ he figured still looking around the room and not noticing the door open until a half-nude blonde walked in.

"Are you feeling better?" Jak asked as he rubbed at his hair with a towel to dry it, being careful not to frizz it up. _And I _really_ don't want to cut it… It's the only reminder I have of Sandover…_ Banishing those thoughts from his head, he found glazed emeralds taking in his body. With a smirk, he dug out a shirt and slid it over his head, chuckling at the groan of disappointment. "You didn't answer my question."

"You were distracting me," was the reply, a sultry smirk curving the man's lips. "And I am feeling better, thank you. Um…is there a place I could bathe? I'll give you all the answers you could ever want afterward," he asked, bargaining for a shower.

"Tell me your name, and I'll even throw in some clean clothes…that are certainly in better condition than yours…" Jak replied with a little smile. He had always enjoyed haggling. "I'm Jak. The little orange guy is Daxter."

"Hmm… I'll go by Vex, since I've been told that I am very annoying, agitating, and confusing – vexing, but where I'm from, my name is Harry Potter," the man, Harry – or Vex, as he wanted to be known by – replied, holding his hand out for the Elf to shake. "Your hand is so warm…" he said softly, wonder in his tone as he lifted his other hand to clasp the bare hand between both of his own. "But…something burns strongly within you…powerful and kind…but blinded by rage… Your darker side?"

Jak couldn't help but let Vex continue to hold his hand, reading things from him that no one else knew – not even himself. "How…? How can you tell?" he asked in a voice as soft as Vex's.

"I can sense these things…" was all he would say before standing. "Now, you've told me your name and I've told you mine. Where is this place to shower? If I _Scourgify_ my clothing anymore, it's going to fall apart," he said, pushing Jak in front of him as he left the room, marveling at the sliding door.

"Ah…_Scourgify_? What's that?" the blonde questioned as he led the other down the hallway.

"It's a cleaning spell – magic – that erases any and all dirt, grime, and icky stuff," Vex answered as he found a set of clothing pressed into his hands – black pants and a deep-red shirt, the cloth of which felt very soft and comfortable in his hands. He looked up at Jak with a toothy smile, displaying pearl-white, straight teeth, before slipping into the bathroom.

Jak blinked a couple of times, wondering, _Was it just my imagination…or did he have fangs?_

--

Vex stripped from his clothing, examining the horrible gash on his left side that was left by a Krimson Guard. It had healed into pink skin, and by the time he got in the shower, the skin was his normal pale, moonlight color. He couldn't help the grateful moan that escaped him as the hotter-than-warm water washed over his body. He gave a soft hiss as it washed over cuts and soothed bruises. _Rotten, red-suited bastards…_

He snarled as he thought about how they had ambushed him and beaten him before slinging him into the mud-infested ditch. _If they would have fought me face to face, I would have _slaughtered_ them!_

He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind but forced himself not to recall his friends and family – _Yeah, right…_ – by thinking of the image of a shirtless Jak with a towel on his head and water droplets sliding over strong muscles and smooth skin.

He glared at his erection.

--

Jak stood outside the door on the opposite side of the hallway, leaned against the wall. When Vex stepped out, he was _extremely_ thankful that he had waited for him. _Wow…_ he thought to himself, thankful that he hadn't been particular about which gender he admired since his Sandover days.

Paler-than-pale skin that held a soft glow all its own, blacker-than-black hair that contrasted beautifully, and greener-than-green eyes framed by deep-black eyelashes that a woman would kill for brought the beautiful face together. From the better-fitting clothing he had given the raven, Jak could see the outline of graceful, lithe muscles that sculpted Vex's torso, arms, and legs.

The blonde smirked and twirled his finger, telling the other to turn around for him. And was he glad he did – he had never seen an ass so fine.

"Do I pass?" Vex questioned as he looked over his shoulder, an amused lilt in his soft, smooth, nearly-baritone, musical voice.

Jak stepped forward, unable to resist lightly patting the man's bum, and replied, "With flying colors." He chuckled at the gasp as his words slid across the moonlight-pale neck.

Vex spun around, a very light flush across his cheeks. He panted softly as he buried his face in the warm, tanned neck.

Jak held him close, surprised at the actions. He had expected an 'eek!' or some such sound, but not the soft kisses being pressed against his very-sensitive throat. When he felt sharp teeth graze his neck, he was surprised Dark didn't rise up but instead heard the demonic side of him…_purring?!_ "Are you a vampire?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, shocked at the answer.

"Half," was the soft gasp. "Half-vampire…half-demon…" Vex sighed in pleasured contentment as gentle fingers traced across his back where his shirt rode up.

Jak blinked before giving the slightest of a shrug. "You know about my demon. I'd be a hypocrite if I said anything about you being one, right?" he asked, grinning at the look of surprise. "And…my demon likes you."

"'Likes'?" Vex questioned, slowly getting his breathing back under control as he followed Jak back to the room.

"Yeah. He 'tolerates' Daxter, but he 'likes' you," Jak answered as he sat on the bed.

"So…this is a good thing?" the raven wondered, watching as the pupils of the sapphire eyes dilated. "I'll take that as a yes." He felt it as the Dark Eco within the Elf came to the surface, felt the way the essence brushed against him and flowed through him. He couldn't resist a moan.

Jak, again astonished, raised his hand and touched it to Vex's face, thankful for the soundproofing of all the rooms and even the building itself as a whimpering cry escaped pale lips.

Vex arched his back as Dark Eco Lightning shot through his body, sizzling his nerves in one of the most pleasurable ways he had ever felt. "…Jak…" he half-whimpered, panting softly.

Jak, somehow-gently, pushed Dark into the back of his mind, wishing he could have found more reactions before having to do so. _You just met him, Jak, control yourself,_ he scolded himself in a voice that sounded creepily like Samos. He barely caught Vex as the man pitched forward, resting comfortably against him.

Vex nuzzled into the blonde's neck, taking in the scent of the blood pumping strongly beneath the skin. His throat felt dryer than the Wasteland he had heard about. "Jak… I'm so thirsty…" he breathed against the warm flesh.

…_Wait…vampire! Shit!_ "Vex! Don't!" he said quickly, gently pushing the half-vampire away. Vex whined softly, his dilated eyes gazing into Jak's as his teeth seemed to glisten. "I have Dark Eco running with my blood, Vex! It'll kill you!" he explained, loosening his hold to be more gentle.

Vex's head dropped before lifting again, slit-pupil, darkening-green eyes staring almost blankly. Suddenly, the green became a ferocious red, and Vex lifted Jak effortlessly, placing the blonde on the bed almost…lovingly. "You… You call to me…as I call to you… You…your Dark Eco…your blood… All of you Sings for me…" He lowered his head as he lay half atop the Elf, gently nuzzling the tanned skin of Jak's neck. "I won't hurt you…" he murmured, gently kissing the strong jaw. "As a Soul Demon...even half… I can't harm my Stabilizing Force…" He lifted to look into sapphires with pure emeralds. "…Please…"

Jak bit his lip, looking up at the desperate half-vampire. He felt Dark rise in fury toward him and simply understood. With a small upturn of his lips, barely a smile, he closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, baring his neck. "Just don't whine at me when you've got Dark Eco Poisoning, alright?" he asked, knowing he wouldn't be replied to when a warm tongue licked a path along his skin.

Vex smirked a little at the strangled moan before taking hold of the young man's hips and pushing them down against the bed. Without warning, he sunk his fangs into the tasty flesh of the blonde's throat.

Jak breathed in deeply as his back arched almost impossibly, pressing against Vex's body as a chaotic feeling he simply couldn't comprehend tore through him. He could feel every single part of his body, even when Vex retracted his teeth and gently suckled at the little punctures before licking and healing them.

Vex stared down at the blonde, completely and utterly amused by the reaction. "Jak…thank you…"

The Elf opened his eyes, staring into Vex's as they sparked with purple lightning before fading back into the emerald he was becoming highly familiar with. "…What…for…?" he gasped, recovering from the chaos that had ripped through him so deliciously.

"I've been in this city…Haven?...for half a month… I'm half-vampire, which means I can survive without blood longer than a full one… I'm half-demon, too, so I can survive on human food but not as much as I can blood…" Vex looked at Jak. "I sensed you, and I tried to find you… You are _extremely_ difficult to keep track of."

Jak grinned. "I'm proud of that."

"I'm not," Vex said with a pout. "My health became the last thing on my mind, my hunger even further, in my search for you. So…in that entire half a month?" He scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"You've eaten hardly a thing," Jak filled in blandly. "Or drank," he added as an afterthought.

"Correct!" the half-demon replied cheerfully.

Jak shook his head but then asked, "How old are you? I'm seventeen."

"If I just said I was eighteen, would you leave it at that?"

Jak gazed blandly at him.

Vex scratched the back of his head. "Ah…I think I'm…" He lifted his fingers and counted on them. "Ah! I'm…um… Three-hundred…fifty…two, I think…"

Jak's jaw dropped open. "You've gotta be kidding!"

Vex glared at him. "I was half-demon when I was born, got smacked in the face with a De-Aging Curse three-hundred-thirty-four, _then_ got bitten by a vampire on my eighteenth birthday after growing up _again_… So I'm half-vampire, half-demon, and all immortal. Yes, I can bleed, but it takes quite a bit to get me when I'm at full strength."

"Is that why you were so beat up when I brought you here?" Jak asked as he sat up, secretly enjoying the straddling position the immortal was using to sit on him. He mentally smacked himself, _Jak! You just met him!_

A voice that could have been Dark's replied, _**You also let him drink from you.**_

_That shouldn't matter!_ he bit back at the voice.

_**You**_ _**Sing**_ _**to**_ _**each**_ _**other.**_

_I_ _don't_ _know_ _him!_

_**Then**_ _**start**_ _**getting**_ _**to**_ _**know**_ _**him.**_

Jak didn't have time to reply as Torn came up on his little talk-box, "I've got a job for ya, Jak, so stop layin' around and get up here. Bring your new friend, too."

"Tch," he scoffed. "Layin' around my ass." He took the hand that Vex presented him to pull himself up. "By the way…" he said to the half-demon, "I wouldn't mind donating blood to your worthy cause in the future."

"Really now?" Vex asked him, his eyes falling to half-lidded as he thought about how delicious this particular Elf's had tasted.

"Do you have any idea how good it feels?" Jak asked him with a grin before they walked into Torn's 'command post'.

Vex gave a little grin, a single fang glinting in the light.

"So," Torn started, "I guess this guy will be our newest member, then." He honestly felt like sucking his lips off and eating them at the glare emerald eyes bestowed upon him. "Okay…maybe not."

"I'm here because I want to help Jak. You have no power over me whatsoever," Vex informed him, his pose screaming defiance all the way from his shoulder-width feet, to his side-cocked hip, to his crossed arms, to the angry set of his eyebrows.

Jak hadn't ever seen an angry person look so good.

--

"So…we're crippling your tormentor?" Vex asked as they made their way to the ammo stash in the Baron's fortress.

"I guess you could look at it that way," Jak replied before looking over at Daxter. "Hey, Dax. You know anything about this building?"

"Just about every way in over and under, but only through the vents," the Ottsel answered.

"That…doesn't help us much," the blonde stated before giving a little chuckle at Daxter's face. "Nah, just kiddin'. Can you get to the other side of this door and open it for us?"

"Sure can," he said, moving to stand on Jak's head before pulling himself up to the vent above them and inside. "Ew…it's kinda narsty in here…"

"That's what baths are for, Daxter. You'll live," Vex called to the rodent-like creature.

"You come up in here and see if you do!" was the Ottsel's retort.

Vex looked at Jak before shrugging and promptly shifting into a black-and-white, emerald-eyed, long-tailed weasel. Glistening, black fur was balanced out by equally-beautiful white on the small creature's chest, white fur coloring the small paws. Vex, deciding he had allowed Jak enough time to gawk at him, climbed up the blonde's pant-leg, shirt, and settled onto the Elf's shoulder.

Jak blinked rapidly when he heard, _"Give me a boost up, would you? I won't disgrace you by using your head or myself by looking like some demented hat,"_ in his mind. _Vex is very vexing…_ he thought to himself, holding his arm up to the vent and creating a make-shift ramp for the weasel. _Is that the only thing he can turn into? I remember him mentioning magic…_

_**Why don't you ask him?**_ the voice that sounded suspiciously like it could be Dark's voice questioned.

_I might do that,_ Jak replied, not even wondering when he started talking to voices in his head.

(--)

End Chapter One

I'm going to be making these chapters _about_ ten pages, I guess… I'm going to use detail to fill these up, too, like the Soul Calibur II/Zelda fic I'm working on.

Again, if there's anyone who doesn't like slash/yaoi/BL/malexmale/buttsmex…etc… please, don't hesitate to click the back button. Believe me, I _don't_ want to hear from you if all you're going to do is criticize that. Give me critique on the writing of my story, not the ideas that _made_ my story.

By the way, updates are going to be either slow or _extremely_ slow. My life is slamming face-first into some major turbulence.

Everyone else, pop me a review on your way out, yeah? ;P


	2. Chapter 2

Along Came a Halfling

Chapter Two

DISCLAIMER: I own only my ideas.

(--)

Once inside, Vex was standing beside a strange-looking, tank-like thing that had a huge, spike-covered roller on the front.

"How did you do that? Turn into a weasel?" Jak asked him, adding, _A very cute one,_ in his head.

"Magic," Vex replied with a little grin. "You know anything about this place?"

"Me?" Daxter asked, "You're actually talking to _me_? The almighty weasel is actually speaking to _me_?"

"Uh, Dax…" But Jak went unheard as a furious growl ripped from where Vex had been standing, a mix between the graceful frame of a cheetah and the amazingly-powerful, muscular form of a tiger with the same coloring as the weasel standing in his place with a snarl that displayed sharp teeth. His stance drew attention to equally sharp claws.

"_I will not tolerate such disrespect. I speak to those who I deem worthy enough for me to speak to and no one else unless absolutely necessary, so count yourself lucky, street-rat,"_ echoed in both Jak and Daxter's minds.

When Vex was standing in human form before them again, his face was like stone.

"Shall we continue?" he asked in a voice that displayed his tightly-leashed fury.

"…Yeah…" the blonde murmured, walking over to the only open place.

"Unauthorized use of security door. Activating security tank."

"Sonuvabitch!" Jak snarled, jumping up when part of a red targeting-circle appeared around his form on the other side of the room.

A rapid shot of bullets passed through where he had just been standing.

"You go." Jak looked at Vex with slight worry. "I'll take care of this thing," the raven added with a scary grin.

"It's a _security __**tank**_! What can you hope to do to it?!" Daxter asked him, his tail-tip twitching in nervousness. His mouth fell open when a blast of ice shot from Vex's palm and slammed into the back tread, freezing it up.

"Now go!" Vex waved his hand at Jak, levitating him up to the next level. "I'll catch up when this thing's toast!"

Jak bit his lip before nodding, knowing that the half-demon could take care of himself. He continued to the next door, destroying the energy capsules that powered the electric barrier. At the sound of an explosion, he looked back down at the ground floor to see the smoking remains of the tank and Vex staring back up at him with a grin. A relieved smile broke across his face as Vex jumped easily to the second level.

"I told you so," the raven said, his grin widening to show off a fang.

Jak gave a little chuckle while Daxter stared, his jaw hanging open.

"Flies, Daxter, are better caught with honey," Vex advised, walking with a seductive sway to his hips to pick up a strange card-looking device.

_**Oooh… He's flirting!**_

_And your point?_

_**He wants you, that's my point.**_

Jak tried his best to force away the blush attacking his face, getting it down to a light-pink tint on his tanned cheeks. "What's that?" he murmured, hearing a bunch of growls and the sound of guns being cocked and readied to fire.

"Metal Heads…and Krimson Guard," Vex replied softly, refraining from being overheard as he kneeled beside a barred area of the floor. "The Baron's troops are giving them barrels of something…"

"Eco!" Daxter gasped, getting a hand pressed over his mouth by the Elf. Jak pressed a finger to his lips, making a soft shushing sound. "Okay, okay… I get it…" the Ottsel grumbled.

"What is Eco exactly?" Vex whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

"This is the Baron's latest shipment. He says to take it and get out," one of the Krimzon Guard troops stated, tossing his head as a gesture to his words.

"They…want to kill him…and search for more of this…Eco…"

Jak and Daxter, both, looked at Vex strangely. "How'd ya know?" Daxter decided to ask sarcastically.

"I can…sense it… From one demonic creature to another, I suppose…" Vex tilted his head to the side before gazing from the Metal Heads to Jak and back and forth a couple of times, his eyes narrowing in concentration. "You… Jak… You should be able to sense it, as well… From one creature mutated by Dark Eco to another…"

Jak bit his lip as Daxter looked at him, waiting for the blonde's reply. "I… I can…sort of…" he admitted before hearing the sound of gears and a gun being charged. "But we'll have to think more on it later," he added with a groan as he stared at the activating security tank behind them.

"How'd we miss that thing?!" the smallest of the group asked in a gloom-and-doom manner.

"Wait… We can use this to our advantage," the Elf said with a grin, pointing to the large bomb on the other side of the room. "We can take out the ammo dump _and_ the tank."

Vex took Jak's hand and pulled the blonde behind him as he ran toward the different components of the bomb. Ducking behind one, he sent Jak and Daxter to the next with the comforting words, "I'm at full strength, so I may as well be indestructible. I'll draw it here."

Jak wanted to stop him, but he had learned quickly that it was better to sometimes do as people requested – no matter how dangerous those requests could be. He watched with a grimace as Vex was shot, but felt a little lighter in the chest when he saw that even the half-vampire's _clothing_ was unscathed.

Letting those thoughts fade to the back of his mind, he jumped out of the way as the attachment behind him exploded. He heard the third explode before he drew the tank toward the fourth, hissing when one of the bullets hit his side deep enough to gash and burn it. Ignoring the pain to push beyond it, he caught up with Vex just as the bomb exploded, rocketing them out of the door.

Daxter smacked against the ground, looking up in just enough time to see Jak before the muscle-heavy Elf landed on him. After pushing his head from beneath the blonde, the duo both watched enviously as Vex landed gracefully on his feet beside them.

"How the hell did ya do that?!" the Ottsel nearly snapped.

Vex grinned, letting the black, emerald-designed wings extending from his back flap once and shimmer with a glow to match his skin before he retracted them into his back. "That's how," he said proudly, giving a soft smile as he reached two hands down, Jak and Daxter each taking one to pull themselves up. "Now where do we go?"

"Back to Torn," Jak answered, quickly accosting and hotwiring a zoomer sitting beside a building.

"Isn't that illegal?" Vex asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If ya get caught," was Daxter's answer.

Emerald eyes rolled skyward before the owner climbed on the one-seat vehicle and buried his face in Jak's neck, wrapping his arms tightly around the blonde's waist.

_**He wa~ants you!**_ the voice in the Elf's head said in a sing-song voice. _**Don't you want him?**_

_It's a question of whether or not I can _have_ him._

**Take**_** him. He's too proud to just surrender himself to you, you know.**_

Jak didn't reply, but he did heed the words the surprisingly-wise voice gave.

--

"So, you're saying you're too good to do little jobs here and there?" Torn asked after Daxter finished running his mouth, the Shadow's Second-in-Command noticing how Jak shook his head at the little rodent.

"Watchin' paint dry is more excitin'!" the Ottsel retorted, ducking before Vex could slap a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"Well, then," Torn stated with a nasty grin, "One of our _suppliers_ has been expecting his payment: a bag of Eco Ore. Get it to him undamaged and don't get caught. The Baron's forces will be salivating over a chance to get this stuff."

"Before we do anything," Vex cut in before proceeding to make Jak sit in the nearest chair and pull his shirt up. "Was this from that tank?" He heard the light hiss of pain as he barely-touched the harsh wound of ripped flesh and half-scorched skin. "Just hang on, and I'll have you better in a jiffy."

"How'd you know?" Jak asked, clenching his teeth when a smooth-skinned, pale palm was pressed against the skin.

"I could smell burnt blood and flesh," Vex answered as his hand started to glow a soft white. "Your Dark Eco has done very well to heal it this much," he added, "But I have a feeling that you're low on it. Am I right?" He looked up at Jak as the burnt pieces healed into pink and the skin knitted back together before healing completely. He held his hand up to the light, seeing the barely-there purple-black bits in the red blood. "No wonder I can barely sense your dark side," he murmured too quiet for anyone but Jak to hear.

"I usually try to stay away from it," the blonde replied in a whisper, sitting up after fixing his shirt, which Vex cast a quick _Fabricus Reparo _on. "Dark…scares me… I never know if he'll end up hurting someone who's innocent…or even Dax… It scares me…" he admitted, knowing that Vex would probably be able to sense it or even read his mind. _There is so little I know about him…_

_**Get to know him.**_

_I plan on it._

Vex smiled a little bit as he heard the confession. "He thrives on Dark Eco, Jak… If you starve him from it, he's liable to go crazy when he finally gets it," he informed. Instead of scolding the blonde like some expected him to, he simply gave another small smile and lifted his hand, "_Accio Dark Eco_."

Jak's eyes widened as he watched a purple-black mass appear in Vex's hand. "How…did you do that?"

"It's just a Summoning Charm, one of the more simplistic spells I know. For your comfort, I actually said the spell instead of willing it to my hand," Vex explained before holding his hand out to the blonde. "It's cruel and unusual punishment to starve someone, even if it's your darker side."

Jak reached his hand out, touching the Eco with his fingertips. That small contact was enough for it to soak into his body. His skin flashed a deathly-pale, the pupils of his eyes expanded to cover the entirety of his eyes, fangs grew from his canines, claws grew from his nails, and purple lightning crackled over his body. With the blink of an eye, the image was gone.

_**Tell him I say, "Thank you."**_

Without even thinking about it, Jak said, "Dark says 'thanks'." It was a moment later that he realized the voice that had been a mere whisper was now strong enough to sound tired. _I'll take Vex's advice, Dark…_

_**I am glad for that.**_

--

Daxter looked ready to kill Jak for the insane driving. Jak wanted to laugh at his friend. Vex was grinning like a madman.

It was definitely easy to tell who enjoyed the rush of outrunning the Krimzon Guard.

Jak stepped into the bar, walking over to where he could see a man who was probably hired by the owner to 'keep the peace' within the building. Wearing bits and pieces of Metal Head armor and standing at an easy six-foot-five, he could see why.

"Lemme handle this, Jak," Daxter offered, jumping down from the blonde's shoulder after adding, "Watch my finesse and _style_." The Ottsel easily walked under the tall man, saying, "Hey there, big guy," before stopping in shock as he stared at someone who was definitely a 'big guy'. "Whoa…" he mumbled before shaking out of his stupor as Vex and Jak stood beside him. "You Krew? Well-"

"Here's your Ore," Vex interrupted, not wanting to hear the little orange creature blab on more than needed. "It's in perfect condition, so no worries there-"

"Good thing, ey! A shipment of rare Eco Ore is worth more than _ten_ of your lives," Krew said, taking a deep breath to be able to continue speaking.

_His fat must be choking him to death,_ Vex figured, ignoring the threat the huge man gave. "-And the KG didn't stand a chance," he added as though the floating sack of lard hadn't interrupted him.

"Hmm… The Underground will take anyone with a pulse these days, ey?" He asked, looking at them closely before Daxter jumped up on Jak's shoulder. "And you must be the Shadow's 'mascot of the month'!" He reached his hand out, petting at Daxter's head. "Ooo, soft… Sig… This fur would go well with my silk suits, ey?"

Sig simply stared at him.

Vex sighed in annoyance as Daxter's mouth opened, spewing something about having juice, being a player, and doing business. Although, he did get a kick out of Krew's annoyed face at the 'tons of fun' comment. He noticed the aggravation on Jak's face as well before the Elf finally snapped.

"Look," the blonde stated, "We did you a favor with the Ore. Now it's your turn. Why are the Baron's guards giving Eco to Metal Heads?"

Daxter noticed the fierce snarl that took over Vex's face when Krew flew up into Jak's personal space.

"Questions like that could get a person _killed_, ey?!" Krew flew back beside Sig, not noticing the _very_ hostile half-vampire, half-demon standing beside the blonde. "Pay 'el Capitan' here and his _friends_ a bonus. If you want to see what that baby can do, try the Gun Course outside," he continued as Sig held out a Morph Gun to the smaller Elf, the bodyguard looking amused at the fighting stance the blonde took up.

_Heh, looks like I have more than just my fists and feet to fight with, now,_ Jak thought to himself, grinning at the prospect.

"Show me some skill with that hardware, and I'll hire you for a job or two, ey," the fat man continued, knowing that the blonde wouldn't resist if what the Underground Second-in-Command had told him about the young Elf was true. The other one, however, he didn't have a clue about.

"Alright, Ying and Yang, I can't go with ya, but I'll talk ya through the course usin' your little communicator," Sig assured. "I gotta stick 'round here and keep everything flowing nice 'n' smooth."

Vex raised an eyebrow at the name.

"Yang," he pointed at Vex, "You're gonna have to sit it out since you ain't got a gun." Sig's nonexistent eyebrows shot up at the fireball that floated in the raven's hand. "Well, okay, but ya know how to use that. Ying, here, don't know about his new toy."

Vex and Daxter both sniggered, getting an annoyed look from Jak. "Not that kind of toy, you perverts," the blonde scolded.

"Don't worry, we'll get ya a Pocket Pussy for yer birthday, Jak," Daxter replied with a snigger.

Jak looked decidedly disgusted. "I don't know him, he just uses my shoulder as a chair from time to time," he assured Sig, who looked as bewildered as the blonde did disgusted.

Vex looked a little downtrodden, but he covered it easily. _I guess his door doesn't swing the other way… But then…why did he flirt with me like that?_ he wondered, looking at Jak for a moment after they had left.

_Great! Just great!_ Jak snarled mentally, _Now he's going to _really_ think I'm not interested!_

_**Just calm down, Jak. Simply let things flow. What is supposed to happen will happen.**_

_Alright… I'm calm._ Jak sighed as he decided against a zoomer to get to the Gun Course that Sig gave them directions to. "Daxter," he said, getting his life-long friend's attention. "Don't ever bring up buying me a perverted item again."

"I just thought gettin' laid, even if it's fake, would help ya relax."

"I appreciate the concern, but the last thing I need is relaxation. When the Baron is just a smear in my memory, I'll worry about relaxing," Jak assured as they turned the corner to see the Gun Course's door. "May as well get this over with, I guess."

"How hard can it be?" Vex wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Point the barrel at your enemy and pull the trigger, right?"

"That's what I thought, but hey, if we're going to get a few jobs from Krew, he'll need to see that this thing isn't a burden, right?" Jak asked, looking fairly annoyed as his talk-box started zooming around him with Sig's voice coming from it.

--

"Well, at least you got the Bronze Score, right? That has to show fatty-two-by-four something, right?" Vex questioned as the trio made their way back to the Hip-Hog Heaven.

"Nice shooting, Jak," Krew praised as soon as the trio walked in. "Ever thought about being a Wastelander, hmm?"

Jak raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms, noting the stiff, ready-to-attack posture Vex had taken. "Can't say I have," he answered. "What _is_ a Wastelander, anyway?"

"They find items outside the city walls for me, ey. Anything worth having comes through _my_ hands," the bar owner answered before adding, "Work for me, and I'll throw some of the sweeter items your way, hmm?"

"Thrash Metal Heads? Get toys? Sounds good to me," Jak answered, a little grin curving his lips as he dropped his hand from his chin, having used it as a mock-considering gesture.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Slow down, there, Jak and the fat man, ya better run that by me again! 'Cause there's _no way_ I'm going outside the city to face _more_ Metal Heads!" Daxter stated in a strong protest, jumping up to Jak's shoulder and gesticulating fiercely.

Vex couldn't resist sniggering.

"Sig will show you the ropes," Krew said before flying away in a huff.

"So…_you_ wanna be Wastelanders, huh, doughboys?" Sig asked, crossing his arms. "Well, we'll see what you're made of when we get out in the thick." He nodded his head out the door. "Krew wants some new trophies to put butts in chairs at the Hip-Hog, so I'm gonna bag him five _nasty_ Metal Heads from the Pumping Station."

Daxter gulped audibly, getting a raised eyebrow from Jak and a little grin from Vex.

"Don't wet your fur, chili pepper, 'cause we're rollin' with the Peace Maker!" Sig assured, lifting his gun.

"Woo! I need one'a those!" He held his hand up to the side of his mouth like he was whispering a secret, asking, "Where'd ya get it?"

"Don't ask," Krew stated as he came back up to them, causing another shift in Vex's mood that Jak noticed. "Sig needs someone to watch his back while he's hunting the Metal Heads, ey."

"Listen, cherries, don't you leave me danglin' in the wind out there," Sig stated seriously, pointing at them.

"Let's do it," Jak voiced, watching as Vex waited for him and Daxter to leave before exiting behind them. "You really don't like Krew, do you?"

"What could have given you the idea that I don't like the fat bastard?" the raven wondered with a little grin as Jak rolled his eyes, giving a small smile of his own.

_**It's not so simple… He doesn't like the…esteemed…owner invading your personal space…**_

_I didn't notice that…_ Jak looked at Vex again and asked, "Is it something to do with his invasion of personal bubbles?"

"That's one way of putting it," was all the half-demon would say.

_**He didn't get hostile toward the owner until he threatened **_**you**_**, Jak.**_

--

Jak had 'acquired' another zoomer, always making sure to get single-seat ones because he was starting to get used to Vex's arms around his waist and the half-vampire's face buried in his neck. He had definitely enjoyed the trip to the Slums more than the one to the Port for the simple fact that he didn't have to rush. He could take his sweet time to shiver at the feel of warm breath ghosting over his skin.

Even still, he drove much faster than the languid pace the other drivers were keeping.

He suppressed his groan of disappointment when Vex slid off the zoomer, looking at the huge door that guarded the exit of the city walls. He dropped to the wooden planks in the Water Slums, remembering that he needed to visit the Oracle again.

"Hello, cherries! Ready to take down a few Metal Heads?" Sig asked once they reached him on the small sandbar.

"This…is going to be fun," Vex whispered, feeling his inner-creatures' bloodlust for the fight. Unknown to him, his eyes had a slight, dark-red shimmer, as though there were bloody flakes within the emerald.

As Sig raised his gun to shoot one of the Metal Heads, he watched Vex practically pounce on it and slam his fist into the creature's jaw. "Well, okay… I guess that works, too."

Vex pulled the gem out of its forehead, his punch having snapped its neck with the force he had used. "You need these, right, Jak?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?" the blonde asked, taking out the other Metal Head as Sig handled the small creatures coming from the water.

"I said it was hard to keep track of you. I never said that I didn't watch you," the half-demon replied as he grabbed one of the small red creatures and threw it back out next to the city wall. "Those things can swim, right?"

"Duh. They wouldn't be in water if they couldn't!" Daxter replied as the fighting duo came back to Sig, Vex quickly killing the next Metal Head to try attacking the Wastelander.

"You're pretty strong, kid. I can't even punch one of those baddies without hurtin' somethin'," the hired muscle praised. "And I certainly can't rip the thing's heart out…" he added with a sweat drop as the raven tossed the still-beating organ over his shoulder.

"I'm not an Elf…nor am I human," Vex replied with a grin, his fangs glinting dangerously as his hand, the nails – _claws?!_ Sig wondered – of which dripped black blood. He tossed the Skull Gem to Jak, wondering where he put them all. "Hmm… Strange… These little animals, the red ones, have Dark Eco inside them…" He held his hand up, summoning the tangible form of destruction to his hand. "Here," he murmured, holding it out to Jak while Sig's back was turned. He had a feeling that the Elf didn't want a bit of a trump card to be known by everyone.

Jak gave a soft gasp as he felt the presence within his mind grow stronger. He shook his head slightly, dispelling the strange but not wholly-unwelcome feeling.

"Let's keep movin', cherries. We're wastin' daylight! You two can make oogle-eyes at each other later!" Sig jumped up on the piston that worked like an elevator.

"Shall we?" Vex asked, making a flourish with a bow and holding his hand toward the make-shift elevators.

--

Sig watched with amusement as Vex stepped into a shallow part of the water around them and scrubbed himself as clean as he could. "Maybe you ought'a get yourself a gun, chili pepper," he advised.

"No, I'm quite satisfied with simply ripping, snapping, and breaking. Thank you for the concern, though," Vex replied, finally getting annoyed and simply turning himself transparent.

The other three blinked in astonishment as all the gore and goo on him fell to the ground.

Vex stepped out of the small puddle, returning from his see-through state, and cast a few freshening charms. "Ah… Much better."

"How'd you do that?" Sig wondered as he continued to clean his gun.

The raven thumbed his nose with a grin. "I'm afraid that's a trick of the trade," he rhymed.

Sig rolled his eyes with a grin. "You two did good for bein' a couple'a rookies. Head back to the bar and tell Krew we got 'em all cooked and canned, alright? I'll bag these bad boys before heading back."

"Take care of yourself, Sig!" Vex called before they left through the main gate of the Pumping Station.

"You hungry?" Jak asked as Daxter scuttled up to his shoulder, making the two wonder when he had 'acquired' the three perfect apples in his hands.

"Hmm… Slightly," the raven replied, biting into the apple the blonde tossed to him and laughing slightly at the tingling feeling the sweet juice spread through his mouth. "It's been a while since I've eaten human food," he said with a little smile.

"Then what _do_ you eat?" Daxter asked, his tone curious.

"I prefer to _drink_," Vex corrected, laughing a little at the look that came over the Ottsel's face when he added, "Blood, that is."

(--)

End Chapter Two

Damn! I didn't notice how long this one was getting! I just typed and typed and typed _and typed_! :P

If I can keep it rolling this fast, I'll have this completed in no time! Woohoo!

Reviews please? :D


	3. Chapter 3

Along Came a Halfling

Chapter Three

DISCLAIMER: I own only my ideas.

(--)

Jak glanced around before stepping into the building that housed the Oracle.

_**It is more suspicious if you make sure no one is following you…**_ Dark commented.

_Old habits die hard, I guess…_ the blonde replied as he stopped in front of the giant, Precursor-made machine.

"You have returned, Dark One, and you bring the Halfling with you," the Oracle's voice boomed through the old building.

Vex pursed his lips at the name before deciding that was what he actually was.

"There is still much ahead of you, Dark One," the Oracle continued, a streak of Dark Eco Lightning bolting from the base and striking the middle of Jak's chest. As the Elf writhed in the air, the large machination continued to speak. "You do well to stay on the path you tread by allowing the Halfling to aid you. As such, I grant you a Dark Power."

As the Oracle shut down, Vex watched as who he felt right in assuming was Dark Jak land on the floor.

The Dark Eco Creature gave a soft growl as he controlled the lightning arcing across his body into his fist and slammed it into the ground to make a shockwave, giving a little smile as he only used part of his reserves. Turning around, he focused his solid-black eyes on the raven who had been keeping his 'host' company. _**"Vex…"**_ He stepped closer, lightly touching a moonlight-pale cheek and grinning at the moan as Dark Eco jumped from his skin to the Halfling's. _**"Forgive…my…sluggish…speech…"**_ he said with some effort, slowly working his jaw to make the words.

"I understand," Vex murmured, enjoying the burning-warm touch on his normally-cool skin. "Jak doesn't let you out to play very often, does he?"

Dark shook his head, his snowy hair swaying with the motion, as he dropped his hand. _**"I was…made…this way… Ferocious…furious…and…unforgiving… Merciless…"**_ he said, slowly getting the concept of talking with his mouth and not his mind.

Vex gave a little smile as he reached over to take one of the black-clawed, deathly-pale hands and hold it between his own hands. "You are very warm...and so kind to those you trust… Jak is afraid…but he won't admit it…" he informed on behalf of the blonde.

Dark tilted his head to the side. _**"I…cannot…blame him…"**_ he replied, watching and simply _feeling_ the gentle touch on his hand. _**"Isn't…admitting…your fear…the first part…to…overcoming…it?"**_

Vex smiled. "Try telling him that."

Dark laughed.

The raven stilled when the laughter stopped abruptly, staring curiously as Dark's free hand slid against his cheek, the hand between his own clasping over one and pulling him close. "Dark?" he asked softly, almost nose-to-nose with the snowy demon. He blinked and reached up to touch the black horns on Dark's head that he had just noticed.

The demon couldn't resist a slight smile before he murmured, _**"Vex… May I…?"**_

The Halfling realized why he was pulled so close, and he gave a small nod.

_**Jak…I want you to feel this, too…**_

Vex watched with surprise as a bit of color returned to Dark's skin, the black of his eyes gaining a deep-blue hue. He let that thought slip from his mind as almost-deathly-pale lips pressed against his own. With a soft, breathy mewl, he pressed closer to Dark Jak.

Dark gave sound to the pleasure he and Jak felt at the sensation of Vex's remarkably-soft lips. With a happy feeling, Dark relinquished control to Jak of his free will.

Jak exhaled shakily as he barely pulled away from Vex, giving a little grin at the sight of hazy, emerald eyes.

"What the heck was that?!" Daxter yelled, jumping up and slinging his arms and hands in the air. "Tall, dark, and gruesome just…bam! Smoocheroonie!" He raised an eyebrow before a sly grin crossed his face and he added, "I guess I'll be getting you a 'Pocket Pucker' instead…heh, heh."

Daxter learned to keep his mouth shut about the perverted toys when a red-eyed Vex chased him all the way from the Water Slums to halfway through the Industrial Sector. The Ottsel had apologized profusely when the Halfling caught him by the scruff of his neck amidst the laughter of Jak, who had simply hotwired a zoomer and followed the duo.

--

When they stepped in the bar, Jak watched as Vex immediately went on the defensive.

"You boys are turning out to be quite useful, ey?" Krew said as he flew up to them with a happy hum. "I have another task for you. The Sewers used to be a fabulous smuggling route for me before the Baron installed _security_ _devices_," he added, saying the last part as thought the words were taboo.

"And before those late-night snack runs kept ya from fittin' out the front door," Daxter continued for the lard-like Elf, making the motion of going through a door sideways.

Vex sniggered behind his hand as Jak leaned forward slightly and said, "I bet you've cooked up another _brilliant_ plan in that hungry little brain of yours. So, who or what do we have to shake down, knock out, or blow up?"

"_Well_," Krew emphasized, tapping his fingertips together, "I need someone to go down into the Sewers and shoot every Sentry Gun…and I'll give you a sweet weapon upgrade if you succeed."

"Let me guess," Daxter cut in, getting a glare from the bar owner. "Dank, murky water?" Krew nodded. "Reeks worse than yer breath at an oyster fest?" Krew sneered and glared. "Fuller'a Metal Heads than yer plate at a one-pass buffet?" Krew glared even more. "And of course, weapons more _lethal_ than yer 'ever so _tidy whiteys_' on a hot summer day?" he finished, grabbing Krew's pants and shaking them, prompting the floating blob to shoo at him unsuccessfully.

Vex barely held in his laughter.

"Look, doughnut-hole, why don't _we_ float around here lookin' hot 'n' heavy, and _you_ go roto-root the pipes?!" Daxter spat, his arms crossed and ears laid back in irritation.

Vex pressed a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter into believable coughs.

Jak pointed at the Hip-Hog's owner as he said, "We're not doing anything until you tell us why the Metal Heads are getting Eco from the Baron's forces."

"I should have had you both knee-capped, ey?!" Krew threatened, flying up into Jak's face.

Vex snarled as his instinct flared, causing him to leap at Krew and bury his claws in the fatty throat as he slammed the floating, lard-like Elf into the floor. "I would advise you to _never_ threaten me or mine again, or I will _end_ your pitiful existence…" he hissed, glowing-red eyes boring into the owner's. "Am. I. Clear." he enunciated clearly and precisely.

"Crystal," Krew stated evenly though he did pale a slight amount.

"Now, tell us why the Baron is giving Eco to the Metal Heads," Vex growled softly, feeling his back twinge with the effort of holding in his wings.

"The Baron cut a desperate deal with the Metal Head leader," the bar owner spat. "The Metal Heads need Eco and the Baron needs this war to keep in power. The deal is the Baron gives Eco to the Metal Heads and they attack the city _just enough_ to satisfy the Baron's continued rule. Without this war, the city would put the true ruler on the throne…wherever the little brat is…" Krew glared at the Halfling as Vex jumped gracefully to land beside Jak.

"We'll clear your Sewers," Jak said then added with a slight grin, "_And_ we haven't forgotten about that weapon upgrade either."

Krew growled, "Bloodsuckers."

Vex scoffed as he crossed his arms, leaving after Jak and Daxter. "I take offence at that. Can I sue him for insulting half of my bloodline?"

Jak laughed a little before asking, "What got you so riled? And what did you mean by 'me and mine'?"

"Remember when you said you'd help me?" Vex wondered, getting a nod. "You and Daxter are my friends in this crappy place. You are also my donor, Jak.

"Vampires are possessive, but so are demons – especially my bloodline. I'm half of each…so I'm twice as possessive. I protect what I view as mine. You are _my_ friends, so I will protect you," the raven explained while Jak nicked the nearest zoomer.

"Heh, heh," Daxter sniggered, "Jak jacked a zoomer."

The Elf barely resisted strangling the Ottsel while the Halfling simply chuckled.

--

Vex had already tied a cloth around his mouth and nose while they waited for the door to the Sewers to open.

"It can't be that bad," Jak said with a chuckle as they got on the elevator, the smell wafting up through the shaft.

The raven glared at him. "Just wait until that door opens," he replied. As the door opened, he watched with morbid satisfaction as Jak gagged before yanking his scarf up. "Told you so," he said in a sing-song voice, rocking his hips in a miniature victory dance.

Jak's eyes caught every single motion while he resisted the urge to cup his hands on the lithe, swaying bottom. _Daaaaamn… He can drink from me anytime as long as I get to watch him move…_ he thought with a little grin, patting Vex's bum as he stepped on the switch to turn on the lights.

As they reached the first turret, Jak took out the nearby creatures that tried to attack them while Vex extended his wings and hovered above the turret's range. The Halfling simply willed the weapon to disintegrate.

"Can ya do that for the rest of 'em?" Daxter questioned from Jak's shoulder as Vex continued to hover but closer to the ground.

"Easily," the raven answered.

"Then I'll keep the little baddies off'a ya!" the Ottsel replied, standing and flexing his arms.

"Thank you, Daxter," Vex replied, catching the skyward roll of Jak's eyes and giving a smirk to the blonde.

--

Vex felt ready to puke, even with the Bubblehead Charm he remembered, by the time the last turret was obliterated. "Can we _please_ get out of here now?" he asked, nearly whining.

"My thoughts exactly," Jak replied as Daxter buried his nose a little deeper into the thick material of the blonde's scarf.

_**Jak… His glow is dim.**_

_Huh? Glow?_

_**Look at Vex, Jak. He's weakening.**_

Jak did so, gazing closely at the Halfling. The Elf's eyes widened as he noticed how sickly-pale the raven's skin was. "…Vex…?" he questioned almost-silently, knowing the immortal would hear him.

"I…still haven't fully recovered…" Vex whispered low enough that Daxter wouldn't hear him. "When I…fasted…for that half-month… I'm still weak from it…"

When they reached city level, Jak had made up his mind. "We've been running ragged for a few days. Let's go back and take a break," he said, shushing Dax and leaving no room for argument from Vex.

"Jak," Vex murmured against the warm skin of the blonde's neck, "I'm sorry that I'm slowing you down…"

Jak blinked rapidly, turning his head to look into weary emeralds. "You are _not_ slowing me down," he stated vehemently, taking a sharp curve around a building to avoid hitting a Krimzon Guard. "Never think that, Vex, _never_," he added as he swerved to miss a lady but nearly slammed into a rotund man. _With all that padding, I would have probably bounced off of him anyway,_ he thought with a sneer before mentally smacking himself, realizing he was taking his slight temper out on the innocent people he would probably never know.

"Are we there yet?" Daxter whined, getting a half-hearted glare from Vex as the Halfling rested a little more against Jak's back. "Whoa… You okay there, fang-face?" he asked, showing his concern in his own way as the blonde slowed to a stop a little ways away from the Hideout.

Vex used the wall to hold himself up as he gazed with a tired smile at Daxter, replying with, "I'll be fine."

As the door opened into the Underground Hideout, Jak held his hand up to stall any comments from Torn.

"We been runnin' through da Sewers half-cocked all night," Daxter stated, ignoring the pun that Jak rolled his eyes to and Vex sniggered weakly at.

"You look like it…and smell like it, too," the Second-in-Command stated with a little grin. "Get some rest," he added, tossing his head toward the other door. "And a shower!" he threw in as an afterthought.

"No time. Krew owes us," Jak replied before the door closed behind him. He blinked. "Dax?" he wondered before seeing the Ottsel skidding into the Mess Hall. With a roll of his eyes, he decided to just pick Vex up and carry the Halfling into his room.

"Mmm… Is this like carrying me over the threshold?" the raven wondered in a murmur, snuggling into the blonde's warm body.

Jak chuckled, unable to resist the small bubble of laughter. "If by that you mean to our symbiotic-ish relationship? Then yeah, you can look at it that way," he answered, giving a little smile as he felt chaste, short kisses being pressed to his neck.

_**Vex wants your affection, Jak.**_

Taking the advice to heart, the Elf lay the Halfling on the bed and tilted Vex's head up so that he could kiss him softly. "Are you thirsty?" he murmured in question, lifting his head so that his lips brushed against the raven's with every syllable.

"Thirsty… Hungry… Desiring you…" Vex said through a breathy whine, pushing upward to press their lips together lightly before trailing light nips down tanned skin to the previously-bitten area, rolling them over to straddle the Elf.

_God, I love this feeling,_ Jak thought with a strangled moan as the half-vampire bit into his throat, sending shockwaves of chaotic, pleasurable pain through him. His body arched into every single touch Vex gifted to his skin from the hot, velvety tongue caressing between sharp fangs to the gentle fingertips, nails, and palms tracing across his chest, abdomen, and arms.

Vex moaned softly at the taste and the electricity that seemed to flow through him. "Mmm…" he hummed, pressing his tongue against the punctures to let the sound vibrate into Jak's skin and enjoying the choked cry that escaped lightly-tanned lips. Instead of sealing the small wounds, he let them bleed a little as he kissed the Elf, nipping at Jak's bottom lip.

The blonde gasped softly, allowing a coppery, exotic taste to slip into his mouth. He pressed up into Vex, warring for dominance and smirking when he won it. Rolling them over, he pinned the half-demon below him as the smirk widened into a grin. He lost the grin, however, as he gazed into emerald eyes that were barely obscured by stylishly-messy, liquid-shadow hair.

Vex smiled up at Jak, sure by the Elf's face that it had been too long since he had seen such a gentle expression. He reached up and licked at the small holes he had left behind. The little punctures healed over as he cleaned the blood away from the warm skin. He felt the Elf nuzzle his ear, and when he pulled back, he wasn't all that surprised to see black extending from the pupils and swirling about in the sapphire of the blonde's eyes.

Jak reached up, feeling Dark rising up inside him, and gently brushed the flyaway hair aside and gave a little smile, not reacting as he felt a fang poke over his lip. He did shiver, however, when Vex reached up to lick at aforementioned lip. Before the Halfling lay back, the blonde buried a hand in the soft, deep-black hair and pulled him back up.

Vex melted into the so-very-warm kiss. "Nap time…" he whispered as he fell back against the bed and lightly tugged at the leather straps holding the Eco Ring to Jak's chest to pull the Elf on top of him. He wrapped his arms around the blonde and simply held him there as he nuzzled a long ear, lightly nipping at it a couple of times. "Sleep, Jak… I'll be your shield against the nightmares…" he murmured as Jak shifted to lay his head on Vex's chest.

"…Thanks…" the Elf said softly as he let the strong beating of the half-demon's heart lull him into sleep.

Vex gently carded his hands through the soft strands of hair, smiling as the hard expression on the blonde's face relaxed into peaceful rest.

--

"Come on, lovebirds!" came Daxter's voice, slicing through Jak's happy dream of a Sandover sunset with his closest friends beside him and Vex's lukewarm body held close to him.

"Ugh… Dax?" The blonde lifted his head, looking at the clock. "What the hell, Dax? It's barely six in the morning…" he said, rubbing a hand over his face as Vex sat up, looking totally awake and ready for anything. "Oh God… Not another morning person…" the Elf grumbled, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and swearing that if it smelled anything like he did right now, he would _definitely_ be washing the bedcovers.

Vex nuzzled Jak's neck with a chuckle. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Krew's got a gun mod for you, remember?" he stated, the recollection jumpstarting Jak's mood as a grin spread across the tanned face.

Daxter rolled his eyes before saying, "Okay, something _else_ to kill Metal Heads with! Can we _go_?!" and gesticulating furiously at the door.

"You just want to get drunk," Jak teased as Daxter hopped up to his shoulder.

Vex couldn't resist sniggering at the expression the Ottsel made – a cross between smelling something horrible and eating a lemon. He also stated, "My Charms Professor could glare better than that – and he's barely taller than you with the most cherubic face you've ever seen!"

A small growl rumbled in Daxter's throat as his ears laid back. "I'll show you glare!" he stated, rising to the bait.

"Oooh! Now you're reaching the level of the Dust Bunnies! I'm more afraid of the Fae!"

For some odd reason, Jak didn't doubt that, in some strange part of Vex's world, the was such a thing as an actual Dust Bunny.

--

When they walked in the bar, it was to Krew sniffing the air. "What _is_ that horrible smell?!"

"Just _great_!" Daxter shouted, jumping up on the corner buckle of the ring in the middle of the floor. "We do _your_ dirty work and come out smelling worse than a wet hiphog in a warm barn!" The Ottsel sniffed himself before leaning toward Jak and Vex, saying, "This could have a _serious_ impact on the lady factor…"

"Good thing we aren't so worried about ladies, then," Vex stated, bumping his hip into Jak's with a little grin.

With a rumbling of Krew's innards, the bar owner stated, "I think it was my lunch, actually…"

Needless to say, the trio felt their faces turning green.

"I suppose you're back for that weapon upgrade, hmm?" the lard-like Elf stated, grumbling to himself. "Well, there's a Blaster mod stashed in some crates at the Port. Find it…and it's yours!" He laughed evilly as he flew away.

Vex rolled his eyes. "My carpet could have cackled better than that," he informed as they left, unsurprised that Jak simply wanted to walk. "You know where your upgrade is?"

"Well, it's a gun modification, so it should be in the Gun Course…right?"

Vex grinned and said, "Heh… Blonde, blue-eyed, _and_ smart? What more could I ever ask for in a man?"

"Don't forget 'totally hot and strong'," Jak replied with a grin of his own, flexing his bicep with a comical waggle of his eyebrows.

"More like 'dead sexy', but I wouldn't want to boost your ego _too_ much," the raven retorted, adding an extra sway to his hips as he emphasized his words.

As they entered the Gun Course, Jak reached over to gently grab Vex's arms around his biceps and spun to press the half-demon against the wall with his body. "I'm dead sexy, am I?" he asked in a low, husky voice against the raven's ear.

Daxter rolled his eyes and hopped off his best friend's shoulder, deciding to dig through the boxes of ammo and other such things for the Blaster upgrade.

Vex gave an almost-silent moan as hot breath brushed over his ear with the seductive voice. "_Nnh…_ Very…" he murmured, sliding his hands as far as he could up the hard muscles of the Elf's abdomen.

Jak breathed in shakily as he let the sensation of touch come close to overwhelming him. Before that could happen, however, he quickly wrapped his hands around Vex's wrists and pinned the mischievous hands above the Halfling. "Mmm… Now that I have you were I want you, my little demonic vampire…whatever should I do with you…?" the blonde wondered in the same breathy, ensnaring voice.

Vex whimpered softly and replied with, "Whatever you want…" He mewled as the feeling of Dark Eco rushed through his body before a quiet, intense cry ripped from him as almost-too-sharp teeth buried in his throat. "_Jak_!" He was unbelievably thankful that, as only a half-vampire, his blood was unable to Turn someone else. He didn't know if he'd be able to resist the feeling tearing through him now that he had been subjected to it. "Oh, God.. Please, Jak… Harder…" he whispered, gently suckling at the lobe of one long ear.

Jak and the simmering-beneath-the-surface Dark shivered from the warmth that was gently attacking his ear. With a soft, breathy sound, the Elf bit just a little harder, sinking his teeth into the moonlight-pale skin just a little deeper. He wanted to taste more of the sweet liquid filling his mouth, but he wanted to hear the soft whimpers of need from Vex even more.

The Halfling gave another mewl as the sharp fangs were withdrawn from his skin.

Jak, not knowing what else to do, let Dark guide him as he leaned forward to press his lips against a pointed ear and half-whispered, half-growled, "_**Mine**_…"

Vex nipped at the blonde's ear, enjoying the shiver he received, and whispered in the most-seductive voice Jak had ever heard, "But you're mine," before fangs were buried in the Elf's neck.

(--)

End Chapter Three

Squee! There's the third one! Sheesh…this is actually taking me forever… And I wanted to try to get one for Jak 3? Am I nuts or what? Bah, ya never know. I may throw in a strange little plot twist. :D

-pulls up to drive-thru- "I'll take an order of readers with a side of reviews, please?" XD


	4. Chapter 4

Along Came a Halfling

Chapter Four

DISCLAIMER: I own only my ideas.

…I just realized that I have TOTALLY fucked up the game's set up, yo… But, that's why it's "AU"! :P

Sorry, but I've recently gotten a review from someone who can't even Log In to let me reply to them, so I'll have to botch up the format I usually work with for this chapter. Forgive me, but I feel I need to inform this reviewer of something very important. If you would like to read this review, feel free to visit the Reviews page for my story, and I hope you have just as much reason to shake your head and heave an exasperated sigh.

_**JB, I refuse to reply to your review in a lengthy form because it is forbidden by this website to do such a thing in a chapter. If you would like to hear my reply in the aforementioned manner, you will need to either Register or Log In.**_

Again, I apologize. Please, for those who _do_ understand life's hardships that would be pressed upon the characters after I have _quite happily_ twisted them about like a badly-oiled Merry-Go-Round, enjoy this chapter.

And a bit of forewarning if you like Keira...because she really pissed me off in Jak 2: Renegade.

(-)(-)(-)

Vex buried his face a little closer to Jak's neck as the Elf raced through the middle of Haven City. He felt horribly annoyed with Krew for signing the blonde's name to a racing contract. _And to top it off, Jak's an _outlaw_! They can arrest him easily by simply waiting at the Garage!_ Unable to do anything about a deed already done, the Halfling could only sigh…and plot Krew's death.

Jak could feel the agitation rolling off his passenger in waves, and it made him cringe in sympathy for their current employer.

_**It's more like **_**tsunamis**_** than waves,**_ Dark mentioned. _**Vex is **_**definitely**_** going to be killing something…probably the next ten KG to harass us.**_

_Why do you sound so…_gleeful_…?_ Jak wondered, raising a mental eyebrow.

_**Do you not realize just how **_**delicious**_** Vex is when he's covered in blood?**_

Jak blinked a few times before simply chalking it up to the demon being his literal 'dark side'.

(-)

"We're going to have to sneak in, aren't we?" Vex wondered with an exasperated sigh as he caught sight of a proverbial ton of Krimzon Guards patrolling the Race Track and Garage area.

"Nope," Daxter answered as Jak turned to circle an arm around the raven and leap from the Zoomer to land behind the glowing-red poles blocking access to the Garage.

Jak grinned at Vex and received a snort of amusement as he stepped into an open bay. "Hello? Krew said someone was looking for a race driver?"

"You must be Krew's new errand boys," a female's voice came from behind a green curtain. "And I don't mean to be rude – you _did _get here fast – but I'm just not looking for any new drivers right now."

Vex winced as her voice grated on his ears, and he looked over at Jak to see the same expression on the Elf's face. "And why aren't you?" the raven questioned, leaning against the lift a broken-down Zoomer was resting on.

"I've got work to do," she snapped, "So why don't you just scram, okay?"

Jak's eyebrow shot up as Daxter glared at the curtain. "Need any help? It seems to be what we're good for around here," he said, being polite in even making the offer.

"No! I'm, ah…working on a, uh...secret vehicle project!" she stammered, the petite body behind the curtain moving over as though hoping to hide the huge contraption.

"Not much of a secret when you broadcast it so thoroughly," Vex made sure to point out, his voice a slow drawl in disdain for the woman.

Jak took definite notice of the Halfling's accent just then, having not paid much attention to it since it was such a very slight thing before.

"Listen," the woman said, her voice even snappier. "If you think you've got the guts to race in this town, take my prototype JET-board and attempt the Stadium Challenge. Beat that, and _maybe_ I'll consider you for my team," she said, sitting up against the shadow of the lift her 'secret' project was on.

_**Is this mockery of your race trying to be suave?**_

_I don't know, but she's failing miserably…_ Jak replied as Daxter hopped back on his shoulder.

"What A _Bitch_," Vex made sure to enunciate clearly before they left. "I had to deal with a few people who were absolute _professionals_ in the art of 'asshole', but she takes it to a whole new level."

"If doin' this crap can get us closer to the Big Cheese, then who cares, right?" Daxter wondered, knowing what Jak's driving force was.

"And a little racing never hurt, right?" Jak asked as they went down the ramp to the Stadium.

"Aw…" Vex whined, his shoulders slumping dramatically. "There's only _one_!"

"Guess you get to sit back and let me work _my_ magic," the blonde replied with a grin.

The raven let a seductive smirk cross his face as he slid up against the Elf in one smooth movement, pressing every inch of their fronts together that he could while still staring up at Jak through his eyelashes. "I like your kind of magic…" he whispered, leaning up on his toes to press a quick, chaste kiss to the lightly-tanned lips.

Jak reached out to catch the Halfling, but Vex had already danced out of his reach and spread his wings to hover in the air. "Wha…?"

"Epitome of elegance, my dear Dark One," Vex stated with a laugh. "But I'll be waiting for you after the challenge," he added, pointing at the high ledge and then the rail beyond that. "Besides," he said as he lowered with a little flap of his wings to be right beside the Elf's ear, "I want to watch the way you move."

Jak was left with a pleasant tingle throughout his body as he used a boost jump to reach the ledge then grinded along the rail. "Huh… This isn't as hard as I thought," he said more to himself than anyone else as he raced by the sensor to activate the judge.

Vex watched from above the Stadium as Jak grinded, flipped, spun, and did tricks that he didn't think were possible. _Just how flexible is he?_ the raven wondered, lifting his thumb to wipe a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth. _Oh, hot damn…_ he thought, his eyes sharp for every single twist, curve, and arch of the Elf's body.

Vex glared at his erection. _I've been alive for _how long_ and I _still_ can't control this thing!_ he snarled mentally, flying to an obscure, blocked area and giving a soft moan as he unzipped his pants, releasing the pressure on his groin. _The last time I had to do this was when Scharlon wouldn't stop touching and breathing on my ears!_ he realized, currently hating the Dark Soul Demon for everything he was worth.

When his erection went soft at the thought of the other male, the image of a certain wet, shirtless Elf with hair plastered to a strong neck and jaw returned to his mind. He moaned as he imagined Jak's hand being the one to force the sounds from his throat, the thought of Dark Eco sending jolts through his skin because of Dark Jak causing an even stronger wave of pleasure to pulse through him.

"Vex?" Jak called after putting the JET-board back onto its shelf.

_**Listen closely, Jak, and you'll find him in a situation you will very much like,**_ Dark advised, a mental grin flashing at Jak.

Deciding to listen to his dark side, he closed his eyes to better focus on his ears. Soon enough, a soft, breathy cry of his name reached him. _Is he…?_

_**Yes, he is,**_ Dark replied, a perverted tone coloring his words.

"Jaaaak!" Daxter whined, "When are we gonna go back and see that chick?"

"We're waiting for Vex," Jak declared, never opening his eyes as he listened to the soft moans and cries before a long, drawn out mewl reached his ears. _He just…_

_**Had an orgasm to the thought of you and me? Why yes, he did,**_ Dark finished, smug at the thought of the half-demon getting off on thoughts of his Elf host and himself.

Jak felt a distinct smugness come over himself at the thought, a little smirk working its way onto his face as he took note of a very-relaxed Vex gracefully descending to the ground in front of him. Leaning forward with a mischievous smirk, he murmured, "Did you have fun?" against a sensitive ear and relished in the shiver he was rewarded with.

Vex hummed a moan in affirmative before glaring at Daxter as the Ottsel provided gagging sound effects. "I will be murderous to any future relationships you have, Daxter, if you do not cease your pointless noises," he vowed, turning to fall into step beside his partner-in-crime.

Jak sighed and said in a calming voice, "Dax has always been like that."

"And just think!" the small animal retorted, "Your first kiss would have went to Keira instead of Vex if I hadn't!"

"What makes you think it was my first?" the blonde wondered with a raised eyebrow. "What makes you even think that I'm a virgin?"

"You are definitely the second," Vex mumbled quietly, letting only the Elf hear him. Jak looked at him curiously, and the Halfling replied, "If not, being near you would cause me tremendous pain until I would either take you or mark you as my own."

Jak blinked. "Well… That's, ah…certainly nice to know…" he mumbled in return, keeping Daxter out of their conversation. After all, Jak knew just how well the Ottsel could keep a secret. _And that is 'none whatsoever'._

"Back to the Lair of the Wicked Bitch of Haven City we go," Vex grumbled moodily as he stepped through the bay door.

Jak grinned and shook his head. "We beat the Stadium Challenge," he stated, feeling a certain satisfaction in being able to prove the snappy woman wrong.

"Some people do get lucky," she retorted, shadows flaring behind her curtain as she shut off what sounded like a welding torch. "Look, I'm not looking for anyone to drive for my team, alright?"

"You don't like us…do you?" Jak asked, feeling the 'Captain Obvious' comment from the roll of Daxter's eyes.

"You work for that slime ball Krew. What's not to like?" she wondered sarcastically, her head shaking to and fro behind the curtain. "Don't you have someone to rob or beat up…or something? I'm busy, so why don't you just scram?"

Jak put a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on as he heaved a loud, furious sigh.

"I just can't help you right now, okay?" she asked, her tone carrying a slight apology for the rudeness she had shown toward the trio.

Deciding to cut in before Jak lost his temper, Vex stated, "You've got a lot of trophies," while looking at the large shelf along one wall of the garage.

"What of it?"

"Is it true that the City Champion gets a tour of the Palace?" Jak wondered, finally on track of something that interested him.

"Yeah…" was the drawn out, slow answer, curiosity smothering the word.

"Could you get us in the Palace?" Vex asked as a grin worked its way over Jak's face.

"A friendly visit, I gather…" the woman said, annoyance in her voice.

"Oh yeah," the Elf stated darkly, "I'm a real _fan_ of the Baron."

"If you want to see him that bad, just take the elevator in one of the Palace's support towers," she replied haughtily. "The only thing you have to do is get the power back on. Piece of cake for a couple of Krew's heavies, right?" This question gave a distinct 'go away' flavor to the tension.

Even Vex was getting annoyed with the she-Elf's attitude by this point, and he bit out from between clenched teeth, "Whatever stick is shoved up your chapped cunt, I do wish you'd remove it!"

Jak and Daxter both blinked in surprise as Vex stormed from the Garage. They followed and watched as a vicious swipe of his hand removed the nearest Krimzon Guard's head. "Okay, what did that guy ever do to you?" the Elf wondered.

"When you found me?" Vex questioned, and Jak nodded. "He was one of the guards who ambushed me. The scum nearly raped me, as well."

"How'd you know it was him?" Daxter asked as the situation they found the Halfling in before finally hit the Elf he was riding on.

"Do you see the gauges in the armor? I made those," Vex answered, stepping into an alleyway as a shortcut through the main area of Uptown. He was suddenly stopped when Jak gently grasped his shoulder and turned him around.

"…What would have happened…?" he asked softly, referring to the half-vampire almost being raped.

"I would have died…and you would die as a lonely, unhappy Elf," the raven murmured, leaning against the wall as though his strength had fled his body. He would have let his head fall, but the blonde caught his chin with careful fingertips.

Jak gave a small but reassuring smile before pressing his lips against Vex's pale ones in a light, chaste kiss.

Vex gave a little smile of his own as he whispered, "Thank you…"

The blonde let his smile turn into a grin as he said, "Come on. We've got a friend who can kick up the juice for us."

(-)

"Wh-who's there?"

"Just us!" Daxter answered as he jumped off Jak's shoulder and slid across the floor to stop by the white-haired Elf's feet.

"Vin, buddy!" Jak greeted with a grin, his arms out to the side before he brought his hands together and said, "We need a favor…"

"I-I-I can't help you on your Eco bill…" the tech-head stated after turning back to the huge computer.

"We need you to cut the power back on to one of the Palace's support towers," Jak replied, not caring about anyone's Eco bill.

"Are you nuts? That's on the old B-Zone Power Grid!" Vin stated, looking about ready to jump out of his skin.

"It doesn't sound half as bad as you're making it out to be," Vex stated as he examined one of the screens, watching the symbols that stood for the Elfin alphabet flying across the screen.

"Oh no, I understand," Jak said, turning away as though about to leave. "Power stuff can be extremely tricky." He grinned when he heard Vin huff.

"Tricky?" the white-haired Elf exclaimed, his eyebrows lowering in concentration as he started pushing buttons and stating everything that would make the B-Zone work. As he scrambled over to a lift, raised in the air, and continued to push more buttons, Jak grinned.

"Sneaky bastard," Vex complimented quietly, quickly ducking along with the blonde as Vin zoomed low enough to take their heads off, still chattering away and pushing buttons before he suddenly slammed down in front of them.

"And bam! You've got instant lift juice!" the tech-head stated with a grin.

Jak looked at the Elf as he grinned. "Vin… You're a genius!"

"Actually, no… Mar was the genius…" Vin replied, turning to wave his hand at the technology in the room. "They say he built most of this stuff long ago: the Shield Wall, the Eco Grid… B-But enough about that!" He waved his hands as through smacking the air in front of him. "You've got to hit the switches to connect the conduits to connect the old Grid for the power to reach the support cable."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Daxter replied.

"Not until I tell you that they're protected by super-charged, motion-sensing, turbo cannons!" was the reply as the geeky Elf made motions with his hands like turrets firing.

"Heh," Vex laughed softly. "Easier than a piece of cake…" he trailed off before poking at his rumbling stomach. "Mmm… Cheesecake… That sounds good right now…"

Jak laughed as Daxter adopted the same hungry expression. Anything involving cake usually had sugar, so the Ottsel was off in dreamland. "We'll get something _after_ we take out the cannons, alright?" the blonde stated.

"You'll want a shot at the Baron first…" Vex almost whined before sighing. "No, Baron first then back to the HQ for some food and some rest."

(-)

Vex blinked the rain out of his eyes, feeling thoroughly aggravated as he covered a sneeze.

"Bless you," Jak and Daxter said at the same time.

"Thanks…" the Halfling replied distractedly as he looked around, having heard muffled voices.

While Daxter spied the city from the lovely view from the roof of the Palace, Jak looked at Vex with eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Feeling a bit stupid, the half-demon moved over to the window making a nice skylight for the Palace's throne room. He motioned with his hand to get Jak and Daxter to come over before putting a finger to his lips.

'The Metal Head Leader,' Jak mouthed in shock before snapping out of his daze and listening in on the conversation between the huge, holographic monster and the smaller monsters, Baron Praxis and Erol, inside the room.

"I told you I will have more Eco," Baron Praxis stated. "And it will be delivered as promised."

"A deal means nothing when you cannot deliver, Praxis," the Metal Head Leader stated. The hologram's eyes narrowed. "I grow tired of your pitiful excuses! Give me the agreed upon Eco or the deal is off! And your accursed city will burn…" The Metal Head Leader ended the transmission by his head fading from the holographic communicator.

"He's toying with us!" Erol yelled as he turned around. "Let me lead an assault on the Nest! I can take him!"

"No, Erol… I know what comes of such foolish plans…" Praxis stated, touching the metal that was part of his face. "Strength is their weakness… We play weak…train them to eat from our hands! Then…" He paused, fisting his hands with a determined stare. "Move forward with the final plan! Tell Ashelin to up her patrols! I want that tomb found!"

"But your daughter has not been…agreeable…" Erol replied.

"I'll fix that in due time…" Praxis stated.

"Ashelin is Praxis's _daughter_?" Jak asked in a low whisper.

"…I want that child found! If you spent half as much time looking for the brat as you do flirting with that mechanic girl, I'd have his royal ass pinned to a wall by now!"

"Yes, sir… But our spies have been able to-"

But the trio didn't hear anything else from the conversation as Daxter sneezed loudly and comically.

"What was that?" Erol shouted as he pointed his gun at the ceiling.

Even though Jak had grabbed his small, orange friend and hidden behind a support beam, Vex cast his strongest Invisibility Charm on all of them. "Well, we figured out what they're up to," the Elf grumbled. "It'd be nice to know what they do, though."

Daxter shrugged. "Ya gotta sneeze? Ya gotta sneeze," he stated, hopping up to Jak's shoulder as the blonde walked around the huge skylight.

Vex sighed, shaking his head before suddenly going rigid. "He's here."

Jak was about to ask who before Dark slammed against his mind with such furious rage that it nearly drove him to his knees. "**Praxis!**" he snarled, feeling his teeth elongate as his field of vision expanded.

"It seems there's a rat in the walls!" the Baron stated as he flew up beside the Palace in a robot. "A rat and his boy!" He focused his attention on Vex for a few moments before turning back to the blonde. "You won't get out of here alive!"

"Jak! Move!" Vex shouted even as he leapt forward and shoved the Elf to the side, hissing as the Eco bullets the Baron fired burned into his skin. With a soft groan, he raised himself and focused his eyes on Jak and Daxter.

Jak blinked as he shook himself from the daze, finding slit, red eyes boring into his own. "Ready for a rumble?" he asked as the Halfling stood, the wounds having already healed.

A soft hiss that sounded like a language to Jak and Daxter escaped Vex's lips before he said in an understandable hiss, "He has hurt mine...and now he has harmed me… It is time for this menace to meet his maker."

"Now you're speaking my language! Dax, take my gun. I'll dodge while you shoot," Jak ordered, his small friend doing as he said.

An ominous grin grew across the Baron's face. "I'll enjoy taking you and your little friend, here, back to my prison! My Dark Warrior and his pet!"

"What about me?" Daxter yelled, feeling left out.

"Oh…do forgive me…" the tyrannical Elf said patronizingly. "_Both_ of his pets!"

A soft growl rumbled low in Vex's throat as he leapt forward with Jak to begin their assault on the Baron.

(-)

"The Dark Powers I gave you can't protect you forever!" the Baron yelled as he flew away in the bare remnants of his robot. "I made you! And I can destroy you!"

"Yeah, yeah… Bye-bye," Daxter said, waving tiredly.

"And good riddance," Vex added in an angry hiss. Turning to Jak, red eyes burning into sapphire, he said, "Even without the torture, I can see why you would hate that man."

Jak gave a little, humorless laugh before letting an actual smile come over his face. "We kicked his ass, though." He touched his chest as he said, "Feels a little better…" Then he sighed softly. "Time to get back to the Underground, I guess."

"We're going to have to be extremely careful," Vex stated as they took the elevator to the ground floor. "Praxis will have every guard on high alert for us."

"We've survived this long, right? What's a few KG gonna do?" Daxter wondered confidently – too confidently.

"If you haven't noticed, there are quite a bit more than just a 'few', Daxter," the raven replied, rolling his eyes along with Jak. "I'm going to have to glamour us," he added, sending a bolt of lightning at the cameras in the room before they were spotted.

"Glamour?" the Elf questioned before two fingertips touched his forehead and a soft tingling feeling spread over his body.

Vex conjured a mirror and held it up, showing Jak his light-brown hair, dark eyes, and pale skin color. "People here never see the sun, so they never have a tan. I also switched up your clothes. Just a simple white shirt with a black jacket and navy pants." He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he wasn't as pale, had sandy-colored hair with reddish-brown eyes, and his clothes had changed from the form-fitting dark colors to tan pants and a red shirt with a black jacket. "Come here, Daxter."

"What are you going to change?" he asked nervously.

"I'm going to make you look like a small, Elfin child," was the answer before fingertips pressed to his forehead. He looked quite a bit like Jak's glamour with a baby-blue shirt and red pants. "I added extra power into it so that if someone touches you, that's what they'll feel, too. It's more than just an illusion."

"What do you mean?" Jak asked, picking Daxter up and holding him carefully.

"For all intents and purposes… I've practically changed _you_," Vex stated with a grin, turning toward the door as Jak did and hoping the Elf didn't see the sweat glistening on his forehead. _I'm still too weak to perform such magic... But I'll burn myself out before I let Jak and Daxter be harmed…_

"I take it if anyone asks, Dax is my kid, right?"

"Exactly," Vex answered, noticing the bland glare on Daxter's glamour-covered face. "But I'm his uncle – your brother."

Jak let out a little laugh. "Incest, huh?" He shrugged. "Whatever works, I guess!"

Vex's bland glare told the Elf that if he expected any type of loving when they got back, he'd better shut his mouth.

(-)(-)(-)

End Chapter Four

I don't have anything of utmost importance to fill in this big gap between where I tell you it's the end of the chapter and ask for a healthy load of reviews, _so_…

Reviews are extremely appreciated! XD


	5. Chapter 5

Along Came a Halfling

Chapter Five

DISCLAIMER: I own only my ideas.

_**BreakBreak**_

To Jak's disappointment, they reached the Underground with no problems.

Vex removed the glamours as the main door closed itself and looked at Jak closely as the illusion faded. "Hmm…" he hummed softly with a little smile, "I love your tan…"

"Heh… Good thing it's my natural skin color, then, huh?" the blonde asked with a little waggle of his eyebrows as they walked into the 'lobby'.

"What the hell did you do?!" Torn snapped as soon as he spotted them.

"Oh, nothing! We've been, ah…sightseeing, right guys?" Daxter replied with a huge, cheesy grin.

"Oh _really_?" the Second-in-Command wondered sarcastically, ignoring the child on the table and the old man standing beside him. "Then why are the KG looking for 'two dangerous young men, one in a blue tunic with a rabid, orange _rat_ on his shoulder and the other in dark clothes with extremely pale skin'?!"

The child pointed at the trio with a little smile.

"Okay, look. We climbed up the Palace and…tripped a few alarms. No big deal," Jak said with a calm humor, knowing that his words would irk the ex-Krimzon Guard to no end.

"What?! I didn't authorize a strike on the-"

"We kicked the Baron's ass!" the blonde cut in, glaring at Torn. "The only problem is that he got away."

"We got a snippet of a conversation with the Metal Head Leader, though," Vex interrupted before the argument could reach overheated levels.

"You saw the Metal Head _Leader_?" the old man questioned, getting a raised eyebrow from the Halfling. "Ah, forgive my rudeness. I am Kor."

"Name's Vex," the raven replied with a small nod, feeling a strong sense of unease settle around him as the elderly Elf came closer, seeming to want a good look at him. The half-demon glared until the bearded Elf backed away.

"It was about the Baron's deal with the ugly monsters," Daxter informed.

"Really?" Kor wondered, stroking his beard after regaining his bearings from the power in the Halfling's agitated gaze.

"Yeah! But the guy's gonna double-cross 'em!" the Ottsel added excitedly, glad to finally be getting some attention and a little lime-light.

"I've gotten word that the Metal Heads in the Wasteland are on the move again… It seems the Baron's never-ending _charm_ has angered someone…" the old man stated as the child hopped off the table, looking closely at Jak and Vex.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me Ashelin is the Baron's daughter?!" Jak nearly snarled, slamming his fist on the table and not even concerning himself with the chunk that broke off from where his hand had hit.

"That's none of your business," Torn growled, glaring at the Dark Elf for questioning him _and_ harming his table.

The young boy smiled happily as he walked up to the blonde and the raven, taking Jak's left hand and Vex's right, pressing them together, and twining their fingers between each other.

Jak almost jerked his hand out of the Kid's slight grip before giving a little smile.

"You are very perceptive, little one," Vex murmured as he kneeled down and lifted the child with his free arm, feeling a deep connection that was much like the one he felt with Jak but of a 'big-brother' type. He lifted the boy high enough for the child to sit on his shoulders with a little laugh at the huge smile that came over the innocent face.

Torn blinked in surprise. The child was quick to trust but he was also super-aware of people's intentions, or so the ex-Commander believed. He had never figured the boy would willingly go with someone with such an attitude as Vex or someone as tortured as Jak. He shook his head and got back to the next mission he had for the trio.

"Because of your stupid stunt," the ex-guard stated as his eyebrows angled downward, "you get to transport four of our people to new safe houses. Don't screw this up, or I'll make sure there's no way you'll ever be able to botch something again, understand?"

_**Break**_

After rushing all over the Slums to keep the Krimzon Guard from either capturing or killing the four important Underground members and figuring out just how well Jak could drive, Vex felt ready to maul someone.

With a soft sigh, he slowly calmed himself. Walking up beside Jak, he wasn't surprised as the Elf put away his communicator. "What's up?" he asked, nodding his head toward it.

"Krew's got a mission for us. You up for it?"

Vex grinned, easily hiding his fatigue through centuries of practice. "Let's do it!"

_**After this one, you need to take a break,**_ Dark said suddenly, surprising Jak for the fact that the Elf hadn't heard from his inner demon for a while. _**All three of you are running on fumes, Jak. And don't try to lie to me and say you're 'just fine' either.**_

_Yes, Mother,_ the Elf replied with a roll of his eyes, grinning at the mental smack delivered courtesy of the Dark Being inside him. "It's been almost two days since we last slept… Who's up for a snooze after this?" he asked aloud as he hotwired the single-seat Zoomer beside him.

Daxter and Vex both raised a hand, getting a chuckle from the Elf.

_**Break**_

Jak pulled up to the bar after a leisure trip through the city, having enjoyed the feel of Vex pressed against his back almost _too _much. Stepping inside the establishment, he was surprised when Krew didn't fly right up to them. Deciding to go to the bar, he nodded to the blonde woman he easily recognized from when he and Daxter first met Torn.

Vex sat on the stool beside the Elf, grinning when Daxter tried to be smooth and suave only to almost blow the woman's cover, though he did find out that her name was Tess. Deciding to let the Ottsel drink himself to death if he so pleased, he looked over at Jak to see the amused expression on the blonde's face. He heard Daxter ask something about gold being in the bottom of one of the bottles before saying, "Would you mind whipping up the strongest thing you have?"

Tess raised her eyebrow, looking him up and down for a moment before replying, "Okay… It's your funeral," and creating a reddish-orange, frothy drink.

Vex gladly caught it when she passed it to him and sniffed it lightly. "Mmm," he hummed appreciatively and asked, "How many different liquors?"

"Thirteen," she answered. "It's why we call it 'Unlucky Takedown'."

"'Takedown'?" he repeated, curious as to the meaning behind it.

"That one glass will take you down for the worst hangover of your life."

"Ooh… I like it already," Vex whispered with a grin, lifting the mug to his lips to take a slow, long drink. It burned its way down his throat before a pleasant tingle shot up his spine. He resisted the urge to moan in delight, instead saying, "That burn's better than Firewhiskey!" and taking another drink like the last one.

Krew flew up to them at that point in time, blinking at the man who was able to drink the strongest, most-potent alcoholic beverage he offered and not even be a little tipsy. "I have another job for you, Jak…"

Daxter chose that moment to hop back up on the bar, looking like a Metal Head found him as a wonderful chew toy. "Hey, there, five chins… How's crimes?" he slurred, almost getting a face-full of Unlucky Takedown as Vex barely restrained himself from bursting with laughter.

Krew glared before turning back to Jak. "Take your little pet, here," he gestured to Vex, "and your talking rat," he glared at Daxter again, "and make a few…collections for me. A few of my clients are going to drop money bags in certain locations."

"Ya know wha's the prob'em wit you, Krew?" Daxter asked all of a sudden, standing slowly from where he had almost passed out on the bar. "You got no visin… Just think… This place could be a real swingin' joint… Hop Heg Hiven… More dancin', more mac'n…more _women_! Jak knows what I'm talkin' bout, don't'cha Jak?"

Krew frowned in annoyance and anger, saying, "I want you to get those money bags before some townie picks them up! If you don't, then don't bother coming back!" before flying away.

"I love you, man!" Daxter slurred, heavily kissing the palm Jak shoved into the Ottsel's face just in time.

Jak let a helpless look come over his face as Daxter hugged him and half-bawled on his shoulder about how much the little orange creature loved him. He looked at Vex with pleading eyes, almost begging for aid without actually saying anything.

The Halfling rolled his eyes with a grin and snapped his fingers, Daxter sobering up immediately. "Now, then… Come on, lover boy. We've got money bags to snatch," he said, ignoring the indignant snort the blonde gave. As Jak moved to hotwire the nearest Zoomer, Vex tapped his shoulder and asked, "Do you want me to just summon them? We won't have to go all over the city, and we won't wear ourselves out any further."

Jak looked closely at the emerald eyes before answering with, "You're tired, Vex… I don't want you to exhaust yourself until you collapse."

The raven grinned as he replied, "Heh… I'm stronger than you give me credit for."

"Vex-" Jak cut himself off as his partner held a hand up, snapped his fingers once, and had a hefty bag of cash held in his palm. The Elf rolled his eyes as a soft-red tint came to Vex's cheeks. "I told you-"

"Nah… I'm not burned out; don't worry," the half-demon replied in a mildly-slurred voice, waving his hand as he handed the bag of money to Jak. "But see, Sir Fatty won't be expecting us back for at least half an hour, right?" he wondered, pulling Jak with him by the leather straps over the Elf's chest as he backed up to the corner of the wall. He nipped at the blonde's bottom lip, ignoring the slight groan of protest Daxter gave as the Ottsel hid in Jak's pack.

Jak grinned slightly as he felt the tingle of Vex's magic slide over his skin. "What did you just do?" he murmured against a pointed ear, lightly kissing the moonlight-pale appendage.

Letting the sensation strike through his body, Vex softly, slowly answered with, "Notice-Me-Not…Aversion…Disillusionment…and Silencing Charms… We're practically…nonexistent…" A quiet moan escaped him as he felt a fang nip at the very tip of his ear. "Jak…"

"Mmm…say my name again…" the Elf murmured, sliding his tongue along the cartilage down to the lobe to suckle lightly at it.

"…_Jak_," he whimpered softly, feeling the shiver race down the body against him, "_Please_…"

"'Please' what?" the blonde asked as he licked the skin behind the previously-tortured ear.

Vex's eyes narrowed in irritation when Daxter's voice came from Jak's backpack, "_Please_ stop, you're gonna make me barf!" The wizard wrapped a two-way Silencing Charm around Daxter.

Jak shivered as the familiar tingle washed over him, giving Vex the opportunity to nuzzle under his chin and kiss at the skin. He heard the murmurs of, "Please…please… I don't know what…but please just…just do something…" coming from the Halfling.

_**He wants you to mark him again.**_

_He _what_?!_ Jak replied, his eyes widening slightly in realization when he felt his sharp canines grow just slightly longer than they already had. "Vex…" he breathed against the soft, moon-pale skin, nipping gently at the raven's neck.

Vex let out a sound between a whimper and a moan.

_**Told you so,**_ Dark stated, feeling smug and making sure that Jak knew it.

Jak mentally rolled his eyes as he gripped Vex's hips and lifted him against the wall, holding the smaller male there with his own body.

"What…is it with…you and…walls?" the Halfling asked between gasps, enjoying the heat radiating from the Elf.

Jak laughed softly as he answered, "I like trapping you between a rock and a hard place," and rolled his hips against the half-vampire's. He slid a hand quickly between Vex's head and the wall as the raven threw his head back, clenching his eyes shut and baring his throat to the Elf. The blonde licked a path up Vex's jugular, relishing in the shudder that raced through the lithe, strong body.

"WHERE'S MY MONEY, EH?!" a voice suddenly shouted from beside them, both almost yelping in surprise as Jak's communicator flew around for a quick circle before finding its way back inside the blonde's pack.

Vex snarled toward the bar's door, storming over after Jak let him down with the Elf watching, amused, as the door slid open and a plume of smoke exited.

Krew could be seen cursing as he shifted this way and that, his lardy form jiggling disgustingly with his movements, on the floor where his overworked hover-lift was smoking.

Jak blinked in confusion before the bar owner sneered and pointed at something on the bar.

"There's a weapon upgrade! Now get out of my sight! I need my beauty sleep!"

"Trust me. There aren't enough hours in the day," Daxter retorted, listening to the satisfying growls coming from the lard-like Elf and the sniggers coming from the Halfling.

Jak grabbed the upgrade, left the money on the counter, and walked back out the door. "What happened back there?" he questioned as the trio made their leisurely way to the Underground on a hotwired single-seat Zoomer.

Vex chuckled slightly, his breath warm on Jak's neck. "It's called 'accidental magic' where I'm from. When a magic-user loses his or her control, things start exploding, flying around, and usually hurting whatever is causing the anger, the fear, or whatever the emotion may be," he explained as they crossed into the Industrial Sector at the same speed as everyone else for once. "But I can somehow cause my little accidents to affect only certain parts or things… It's really strange, honestly."

"Like how your magic affected only Krew's hover-lift and not him?" Jak wondered aloud, feeling the nod against his neck before his communicator flew out and around them.

"Jak! I-I need your h-help!"

_That's Vin…_ Jak thought to himself. "You up for it?" he whispered to his friends, getting nods – weary affirmatives, but affirmatives nonetheless. "We're on our way," he replied to the little machine before it tucked itself back in its pouch.

_**Break**_

Jak carried Vex out of the Power Station, finally finishing with destroying the Metal Head Eggs. He knew the Halfling was weakening, but he hadn't known how much until the raven collapsed after a strong bolt of Elemental power sapped the last of his strength. The blonde was thankful that he had been able to get Daxter to take his gun and protect Vex when Dark had slammed into the forefront of his mind, wreaking havoc on the Metal Heads.

"Nnh… Jak…?" Vex whispered as he felt himself being lifted from the Zoomer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the Elf murmured as he stepped into the Underground. "You're going to kill yourself at this rate…" he added softly as he stepped into his room.

Daxter leapt from Jak's shoulder. "Hang on a sec, big guy… I'll get a bowl of water and a cloth… He's burnin' up…" he assured, stepping out of the room and returning quickly.

"I can't die…remember?" the Halfling asked with a weak chuckle as Jak carefully brushed the chilled, damp cloth over his face.

Jak sighed. "How can I forget?" he replied, a small smile curving his lips as he gently lifted the raven and removed his shirt. "We need to get you cooled off. Work with me, here," he informed, adding the last part as he tried to get Vex's pants off.

"Heh…I knew you wanted in my pants," the half-demon laughed. "Just don't take advantage of me, now…" he scolded with a smirk, humorously waggling his finger at the blonde.

The Elf rolled his eyes as Daxter gagged. "The only way I'm going to take advantage of this is to see you get the rest you need." He rolled his eyes again when Vex whined softly.

_**I'll castrate us if you hurt him, Jak.**_

_Duly noted…_ Jak replied with a wince before relaying the threat to Vex.

The wizard blinked before feeling his skin heat uncomfortably again. He bit his lip as Jak's hand touched his forehead. "Mmm… For once…your skin is cooler than mine…" he mentioned before slipping into a slightly-fitful sleep.

Daxter looked up at his best friend, softly asking, "Is there anythin' we can do for him?"

Jak bit his lip as he traced a light path down Vex's cheek with his fingertips. "…All we can do is keep him cool until his strength recovers…" he finally answered, taking the cloth from the Halfling's forehead to wet it again. As he felt Dark meld with him, he leaned down and nuzzled a short, pointed ear, softly whispering, "…Get better soon…"

_**Break**_

At the quiet sound of shivering breath, Jak blinked open sleepy eyes. Scolding himself for falling asleep, the Elf lifted his head from where his hand gripped Vex's gently to see the Halfling shuddering from the chill. Goosebumps lined the raven's exposed flesh, more popping up as Jak carefully moved the immortal to pull the bedcovers over Vex's cold form.

"Unn…" Vex groaned softly, his eyes opening halfway. "Jak? S'at you?"

"Yeah," the Elf answered quietly. "Are you feeling better?"

The Halfling blinked in a slightly-confused way before replying with, "How long was I out?"

"About half a day." Jak sat down beside one of his partners in crime.

_**Make him tell you if he's feeling okay, Jak. And **_**don't**_** let him lie!**_

The blonde chuckled softly and said, "Dark says you'd better answer my question truthfully."

"I'm just cold. It's to be expected without my magic to help warm my skin. After all, I was half-demon, half-human/wizard before I was Turned, so my body isn't used to the chill without my magic to counter it," Vex answered, feeling the warm fuzzies over Dark's unrelenting concern for his well-being.

Jak gave a little grin as he said, "Let me warm you up." He slid his legs up on the bed, easily shifting beneath the blankets, and held Vex close to his abnormally-heated body. _Thank you, Dark Eco._

"Mmm…" Vex half-hummed, half-moaned as he snuggled into the strong chest. "You're so warm…" he added softly before effortlessly returning to sleep.

_**Break**_

"Hey, Vex?" Jak asked as the two ate a very-needed meal. "How do you make cheesecake?" He laughed when the raven wiped away a bit of drool.

"Have you ever eaten it?" Vex's mouth dropped open in shock when the blonde shook his head. "I'll write it down. My 'family' had practically made me into a professional chef, so I'm one hell of a cook," he said, adding, "Just let me finish eating," after swallowing a bite of what tasted like beef – he only hoped that was what it was.

Once finished, Jak handed Vex a pad and a pen, blinking in confusion at the little scribbles that were presented to him when the Halfling handed it back. "Um… What the hell are these things? Little lines?"

Vex facepalmed and waved his hand over the paper, watching in satisfaction as the English letters changed to Precursorian. "Better?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, getting a distracted nod as the Elf read the recipe.

Jak looked up with a little smirk as Vex yawned widely. "Still tired?" He got another sleepy yawn as a response. "Lie down and rest for a while. We've got time," he assured, lifting the weary raven up from the chair with zero protests. He couldn't help a slight, quiet laugh at Vex – the Halfling was asleep before he even touched the bed. "I'll be back in a little while," the blonde murmured against the moon-pale forehead as he pressed a comforting kiss to the flawless skin.

_**BreakBreak**_

End Chapter Five

Aww… Jak's sooo sweet, isn't he? Ha! Only to the people he cares about! :P

Reviews make me happy!

_**P.S.**_ I'm thinking about rewriting this fic. If I do so, it will be quite a while before it comes out. However, I will finish the next chapter and post it a short while later.


	6. Chapter 6

Along Came a Halfling  
Chapter Six

DISCLAIMER: I own only my ideas.

_**BreakBreakBreak**_

A soft, small groan echoed as Vex woke, feeling almost-fully rested. He noticed a weight shift in the bed, and he looked up to see Jak gazing at him with a little smile.

"Feeling better?" he murmured as he reached over to the nightstand, smile widening to a grin at the look of joy on the raven's face.

"Jak…" Vex breathed as he took one of the three slices of cheesecake the Elf had presented to him. "You…are…the…_greatest_!"

"Heh," the blonde laughed softly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He felt a little jolt run through his body at the moan Vex gave at the first bite. "I guess I don't need to ask if it's good, huh?" he asked with a grin.

"You made this?" the Halfling asked, his eyes bright, pleased, and happy as he took another bite. At Jak's nod, his mouth dropped open. "It's as good as _mine_! And I'm not bragging…!" he complimented before another bite made its way into his mouth, another moan echoing from him.

Jak grinned as he said, "You'll have to show me how well you can cook one of these days. I'll find out just how awful my skills are."

"Yeah, for you and Daxter. Torn would have me on kitchen duty before I had time to cut his tongue out for thinking he could command me," Vex replied, the cheesecake gone and a satisfied smile on his lips. "And if this," he gestured to his empty saucer and the other two slices, "is anything to go by, you're better at cooking than you think."

_**Break**_

"Jak," Torn said as soon as the trio of trouble makers came through the door, "I got a mission for ya. There's an old Soothsayer in the Bazaar, and the Shadow says she wants ya to come and see her. She wants ya to bring yer firecracker, here, too."

"Heh," Vex laughed softly. "I'm more like dynamite where you're concerned, oh fearless one."

"Ha! Yer fuse is too short, _firecracker_," the Second-In-Command taunted.

"You haven't seen him blow up yet," Jak interrupted. "He's dynamite, alright, and he's got a shorter fuse than _me_."

Torn raised an eyebrow before looking at Vex. "That's an accomplishment," he stated before grinning and shaking his head. "Enough with the pleasantries. The Shadow wants ya out there yesterday. Ya got a pass?"

"Yeah, Ashelin gave us hers when you sent us out to 'rescue' her," the blonde answered, even making use of air quotes.

"Then get yer asses movin'!" Torn commanded, resisting the urge to cower behind his table at the glare emerald eyes bestowed upon him before they vanished out the door. _Note to self: stop pissing off the new guy._

_**Break**_

"A Soothsayer, huh?" Daxter questioned as Jak nicked another single-seat Zoomer. "More abracadabra crap," he added at Jak's curious gaze.

"…I think she's an actual Seer," Vex murmured against tanned skin as the Zoomer was piloted carefully through the city. "I get a feeling of…power…coming from the direction of the Bazaar. I felt it when I was still running around after you, too…" he added.

"I don't know," Jak replied just as quietly, "I guess we'll find out when we get there… I just hope this puts us in favor of the Shadow. He can get us to the Baron…I just know it."

"Calm down, Jak…" Vex mumbled, pressing a light kiss to the sensitive skin in front of his face as he tightened his arms' hold briefly. "Getting upset right now certainly won't help you." With another soft kiss to the warm flesh, he settled back comfortably for the rest of the ride.

_Vex is very perceptive to you, Jak._

_I know… It makes me wonder if he was_made _for me… Or maybe_I _was made for_him…

_It's possible…extremely possible…that you were made for___each other… _Would you be bothered if it were that way?_

_I don't think I'd even be able to bring myself to be,_ Jak answered, a soft tone coloring his mental voice as he thought of the raven molded against his back.

_**Break**_

Jak chuckled as Daxter made furious choking motions, having just met Onin and Pecker. _I can't believe something would willingly name it's kid after a dick…_ he thought, shaking his head.

_You aren't the only one,_ Dark replied, his mood a little annoyed with the Soothsayer for keeping the Halfling behind. _Jak… Vex feels…decidedly upset…_ he mentally murmured before the raven exited the tent, his face a stony mask.

"Vex? What's wrong?" Jak mumbled as he began to lead the way to the Farming Sector, thankful for the maps Torn had strewn about everywhere as he had been able to memorize one.

"It's nothing," Vex answered softly, "Just some bad news…" He came to a stop staring up at the blotted-out sky, rage burning in his eyes as his last day in his world came to the forefront of his mind.

_**(X)**_

_He simply stared at his friends._Or who I _thought_ were my friends… _he thought as his eyes narrowed in anger. "How_dare _you do this to me… I have risked my life_over and over _for this stupid war of yours_when I wanted no part in it_!" he nearly roared, turning his head to let his gaze sear into the Hogwarts Headmaster. "_You_are the bastard who cast a De-Aging Curse on me!_You _took me away from my rightful home!_You _saddled me up with the fucking_Potters_!" the raven spat, "And now you turn on me for finding out my true heritage?!"_

"_Harry, calm down, my boy…" Dumbledore tried to soothe, only incensing the Halfling further._

"_And not_only _did you_rip _my life from me and_tear _me away from my home, you now go so far as to condemn me for being half-vampire as though I had a_choice _in it?! You are absolutely_DISGUSTING_!" he nearly snarled, adding, "I would puke on your shoes, but I don't want to waste a good load of vomit!"_

"_Don't talk to the Headmaster that way, you filthy half-breed!"_

"_Oh, shut the fuck up, Weasley!" was his snapping reply, his eyes beginning to slit and bleed red in his fury. "I_was _half-demon, half-magic-user! And_now_, I am half-demon, half-vampire! I still possess my magic but to an even greater extent than you could ever_hope _to accomplish! And upon my magic, I wish to be rid of you, your thieving, lying, cheating ways, and this whole world before you drag me to Hell with you!" he furiously declared. "Hogwarts is the_only _thing I'll miss! My only true home! I hope She turns on you as you have turned on one of Her own!"_

"_Harry, no!"_

"GOOD FUCKING RIDDANCE!" _he shouted before he simply vanished, reappearing to feel the strongest pull. He stared at the horrible condition of the place he landed in before putting it out of his mind as a smile came over his face – he was finally able to sense his mate._

_**(X)**_

"Vex?" Jak asked softly, gently shaking the Halfling's shoulder.

Vex blinked before looking at the Elf. With a little smile, he said, "Ah… Sorry, I was lost in a memory…"

"It didn't seem to be one of your best ones… Do you want to talk about it?" the blonde wondered, Daxter jumping from his shoulder to land on the raven's and give his own form of comfort.

"Thank you…but not right now…" Vex answered, lightly scratching the spot between Daxter's shoulder blades as the tail around his neck 'hugged' a little tighter.

"It may not seem like it sometimes, but we're here for ya, Fang-Face," the Ottsel assured with a little grin.

"What did Onin have to say?" Jak asked instead, blinking at the fury that overtook the raven's eyes.

"My _friends_," Vex spat the word like poison, "are going to find some way to follow me here in the sort-of-near future…"

"How 'sort-of-near'?" the blonde murmured, wrapping a comforting arm around the Halfling's waist.

"About a year or so from now…" the immortal growled through clenched teeth before adding, "I'll feed them to a fucking Metal Head!" in a snarl.

Jak and Daxter blinked, surprised at the ferocity Vex felt toward people from his own world.

_**Break**_

"Hey, Vex?" Jak murmured as they rested in the Precursor Temple, the place having been too peaceful to leave…once a number of Metal Heads had been forcefully evicted.

"Hmm?" Vex sounded, turning his head to show he was paying attention as he leaned further into the blonde's hold.

"…What happened?" the Elf wondered.

The Halfling winced slightly before asking, "What do you mean?"

Jak raised an eyebrow and answered, "I think you know." He gently rubbed his thumb on the shoulder the hand was stretched across to lay on. "Tell me your story…and I'll tell you mine," he bargained with a small smile.

"Mine can't be half as interesting as yours. You go first," the raven retorted, hoping to derail the blonde's curiosity.

"But I want to hear yours _much_ more than I want to tell mine."

Vex gave Jak the 'Evil Eye,' ignoring the smugness he could _feel_ radiating from the tan-skinned teenager. "Well… I grew up in the capital city of Ayrnohn (ire-non)… I was part of the Grey Clan – Soul Demons who are neither light nor dark.

"My mum and dad were wonderful, loving parents. I had a baby brother, too – Siryne (siren). Our lives were absolute bliss under the rule of Her Highness, Princess Skita (skee-tah).

"She always had this warmth surrounding her…but it caused many of the Dark Soul to desire her… She was of the Light Soul, and all Soul Demons who are born into the Light or Grey Clans have what we call 'Stabilizing Forces.' She had a mate, basically.

"The Dark Soul didn't take too kindly to it, and it broke out in war between them and the Light Soul. We Grey Soul tried to stay out of it, but in the end, Princess Skita was killed…

"The Dark Soul took over and turned all of Crea, my homeland, into a mockery of what it had been under Her Highness…

"Mum and Dad had fought to keep Siryne and myself safe, even though I tried to help. They locked us away when Dark Soul guards came…

"Dark Soul Demons are despicable creatures who only take, take, and _take_… So, when Mum and Dad wouldn't give us up… _They killed them on the spot_…"

Jak blinked in shock as Vex took a few breaths to calm himself, rage flowing off of him that made even _Dark_ want to cower behind a fifty-foot-thick wall of steel. As he opened his mouth to speak, wanting to tell Vex that he didn't have to continue if it hurt him so much, the Halfling put a finger to tanned lips.

"I've never told this to anyone, and I've always heard that it's better to talk about things than to keep them bottled up inside," the immortal said with a soft smile, moving his finger to press a quick, chaste kiss to the Elf's lips. "Anyway!" he continued with a much more cheerful voice, "Once the Dark Soul took over, I took Siryne with me and fled our home.

"We lived together on the streets, an inseparable, awe-inspiring team… Siryne and I could overcome anything together…and we did! We helped to create the resistance…gathered every single Light and Grey Soul Demon we could find! …Until Siryne was taken…

"I found the Dark Soul who had captured my baby brother, but it was too late… He was killed for refusing the monster." A dark grin came over Vex's face as he lifted his left hand. "I ripped out the bastard's heart and crushed it before his eyes… Heh… I can still feel the tainted flesh's last, pathetic beats…

"I was completely unmerciful after that. As one of the most powerful of the Grey Soul, even now I am, Siryne had been the only one able to keep me calm.

"The resistance attacked and defeated the Dark Soul Clan's leader, Arstanid, and they wanted to place _me_ on the throne for having been the one to kill him, but I adamantly refused." Vex gave a soft chuckle. "This is where my life gets turned upside down, however…"

Jak continued to listen to the Halfling's tale, not knowing how he would have handled _half_ of the Hell Vex had been through. …_Losing Siryne would…it'd be like losing Dax… I don't want to even think about it…_

"It had taken a hundred years to create the resistance, another hundred to find all of the Light and Grey Soul, and another fifty to finally bring down Arstanid," the raven continued, leaning into Jak's warmth again. "After that, though, I wondered around for almost a century. I met many, _many_ Demons of all different kinds. One specific Dark Soul, however… He refused to leave me alone…"

Jak raised an eyebrow at the pause, "Tell me about him. You don't exactly sound happy."

"Happy? No, definitely not," Vex agreed, gritting his teeth in annoyance. "His name is…_was_ Scharlon. He figured out my weakness," he said, mumbling the last part.

"Your weakness?"

Vex smirked as he answered, "My ears."

Jak let a grin curve his lips as he tipped his head forward and licked one of the aforementioned ears from lobe to tip, enjoying the shuddering breath and rippling shiver that escaped the raven. "You were saying?" he murmured after a few moments that the immortal spent dazed.

"Eh… Ah, I remember…" Vex mumbled before continuing in his tale, "Scharlon sought me almost…almost like a man who had been trapped in the desert with no water for years… Eventually, to simply get rid of him, I agreed for my peace of mind…secretly planning to kill the horrible Soul Demon. Just when the Dark Soul thought he'd 'score' with me, I ripped his heart out."

Jak blinked and muttered, "I'm glad I'm your Stabilizing Force, then… I don't want my heart anywhere but in my body."

The Halfling let his voice drop into a low, seductive murmur, "You think you'll 'score' with me, Jak?"

The Elf simply grinned.

"But I have a story to finish…don't I?" the immortal whispered. "It was after Scharlon that I decided to travel between dimensions… I went to the Human world for a time. Lo and behold, it was my downfall."

"The De-Aging Curse?"

"Yeah… The Potters… Their child, the real 'Harry James Potter,' died very shortly after being born… Lily and James, with _dear_ Dumbledore as company, saw me in Diagon Alley… Lily said, 'He looks like you, James… I bet that's how our little Harry would have looked if he'd lived…' Foolish woman!" Vex explained, snarling the last sentence. "Dumbledore came back after they went home and _captured_ me, telling me that I would be the one to bring about the end of the _Dark Lord_," he spat the name sarcastically. "I'll show the bastard a _true_DarkLord when he finds a way here."

Jak reached up and simply ran his fingers through the deepest-black hair. "Keep talking," he murmured into the sensitive ear.

Vex gave a sigh before doing so, "He hit me with that curse…locking my three-hundred-thirty-four years away. He then took me to the Potters, saying that the medi-wizards had, miraculously, saved their son.

"I was raised as Harry James Potter. I lived up to _more_ than their expectations – becoming the _perfect_ savior, killing Voldemort, sacrificing everything I had come to love… Heh, heh… That was until my eighteenth birthday, anyway…

"I still don't know who the vampire was that had bitten and Turned me, but I couldn't be more thankful. It awoke my Demon memories and imparted such an increase in my magic that I couldn't comprehend it!" Vex scowled as he continued, "It was then that I found out about my friends betraying me… They were all but prepared to kill me, thinking that I was going to become a Dark Lord," he rolled his eyes, "but I wished so desperately to be taken away from them – away from the entire world…" He looked up at Jak and smiled, "My magic brought me here…to you…"

"I'm glad it did," the Elf replied, feeling Dark rise up. With the Eco Demon partially coming forth, he nuzzled the moonlight-pale neck below a short, pointed ear.

"You owe me a story, Jak," Vex reminded even as he leaned into the touch.

Jak gave a little smile. "I do," he replied before launching into his tale of being a Channeler, Eco, Sages, the Rift Ring, and the experiments.

_**Break**_

"My life isn't quite so long as yours," Jak said with a small laugh, "but it's had its bumps and bruises."

Vex chuckled softly as he nuzzled the warm throat and tightened his arms that were around the blonde's waist. "And there's a few more of those on the way," he replied as they raced across the city after Torn's call. "Krew's got something for us to do, as well."

"But Torn comes first," Jak stated as he turned the Zoomer sideways, knowing that if he had wheels, he would've drifted around the turn.

"That's only 'cause'a him helpin' ya first, Big Guy," Daxter retorted from the blonde's shoulder. "If the geezer would'a led ya ta Krew, he's who you'd be bustin' yer ass for right now."

Jak felt a strange sense of nausea overcome him. "I, ah…highly doubt that, Dax…" he assured, wondering if his face was turning green. "I can see someone being 'big-boned' or a little chubby – hell, _I_ was when I was little – but that guy's just…"

"'Ew'?" Vex filled in, getting a slight chuckle.

"Yeah… 'Ew' sums it up nicely."

_**Break**_

Vex rolled his eyes as he watched Jak tinker with his new Morph Gun modification. "Don't put too much confidence in that thing, Jak," he advised, observing as the blonde took the machine apart and put it back together after wiping it down.

"I'm not," Jak retorted, feeling mildly offended on behalf of his new 'little friend'. "It helps keep us – Dax and I – alive. We can't survive a tank blast like you can. It keeps us safe, so the least I can do is keep it clean."

The raven shook his head, placing his index and middle fingertips against the Elf's forehead and then rested his palm over the other male's heart. "_These_ are your strongest weapons. Remember that, alright?" he asked softly, letting his hand fall from the warmth of the blonde's body before the experimented-on man caught it.

Carefully pulling Vex down to his level, Jak pressed a soft kiss to the pale lips. "I always will," he murmured against the soft, pliant flesh before the Halfling melted into his touch. He felt Dark rise up and shivered at the moan as Dark Eco zapped its way into Vex through him, and he couldn't help wondering how the raven may have reacted to the other types of Eco if he had still been able to Channel them.

_**Break**_

Jak didn't stress the throttle into breakneck speeds as they made their way to Dead Town, but if it was up to Daxter, he definitely would have been. "We've been there before, Dax! Why do you want to get there so fast?" he wondered aloud, ignoring the amusement he could feel practically _rolling_ off of his other partner-in-crime.

"I wanna see what's so great about this 'Sacred Site' that has Tattooed Wonder's panties in a wad!" the Ottsel answered. After all, his curiosity had never known any bounds – which might explain why he was barely over two-feet-tall, fuzzy, and in possession of a tail.

"It's not going to grow legs and run away, Dax…" the Elf spoke in a deadpan voice, his glare bland as he focused it on his lifelong friend.

"Hey! Ya never know!"

Jak rolled his eyes but didn't stop the small smile that curved his lips.

_**Break**_

Vex sniggered as Jak viciously slammed his fist into a Metal Head's face, the Elf's quite-angry glare doing nothing to stop him. Instead, it sent him into full laughter as he dropped low to sweep kick a small semicircle of Scorpions that were trying to surround him.

"Would you stop that?!" the two-year-tortured Elf snapped, his rough vocal cords making it sound more of a growl.

The half-demon grinned at him even wider, a fang poking over his bottom lip. "If a Metal Head danced in my face, you'd be laughing and _you know it_. It's certainly not _my_ fault it decided to stand on its hind legs and shake its junk at you in a sad mockery of Latin dance."

Jak blinked in confusion. "_Latindance_? What the hell is that?" he wondered, blaming it on his backwoods childhood. _Not my fault I was raised by Samos. Uncle was never home, anyway,_ he grumbled.

_But you loved Sandover all the same._

_Yeah, and I still do…_

"Maybe I'll show you…or better yet…" Vex grinned again as he slid up against his mate – in all sense of the word – and moved his hips in a way that made Jak's mouth water. "…I'll _teach_ you."

"Is that…" the blonde paused to swallow, not paying attention to the little smirk on the raven's face, "Is that why you move the way you do? Like you're constantly moving to a rhythmic beat that only you can hear?"

Vex smiled. "You've been watching me closely, haven't you?" he wondered, shifting his hips into a powerful kick that literally sent a Grunt's head spinning.

Jak shrugged as he fired his new Vulcan Fury at a small army of Scorpions that were trying to swarm them. "Tell me more about it," he prompted, knowing that he said the right thing with the way the Halfling's eyes glowed.

"It's a type of dance from my world. It took on a new twist with this new exercise idea…" and Vex continued to talk about it, how it was a type of dance that had no real _routine_ to it, and how he loved the fact that he accepted a dare from one of his wizard friends to learn it.

_**BreakBreakBreak**_

End Chapter Six

Well, sorry for cutting off if anyone wanted to read the whole "It's Our World" bit, but I think the events _afterward_ are a bit more important.

Reviews make me happy!


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